Advent of Mokuzai
by blackfoxX10
Summary: Indra and Ashura never looked each other eye to eye. Even after they died, their chakra transmigrated in their descendants of Senju and Uchiha Clan. Hashirama and Madara too, succumbed to the same fate as their ancestors. Watch as Naruto brings the two families together again and breaks the chain of hatred that plagues the Elemental Nations. Mokuton/High water affinity Naruto.
1. Chapter 1

**Author Notes- Hello fellow readers. This is my first time writing a fanfiction and I do hope you all come to enjoy the story. I have been reading Naruto fanfictions for some time now. I guess maybe a year or so. To be honest, I did not even watch anime before that. My friend just recommended me to watch Naruto last year around January, and the story it was beautiful. I instantly fell in love with the characters and the story portrayed by Kishimoto. Although, I do think there are certain facts stated in the main story which did not have enough evidence to support those facts. Anyhow, that's not my concern now. I was thinking about writing an alternate universe for Naruto for a long time, but did not know where to begin or how to proceed along with it. A friend of mine helped with this idea of the story and I must really thank him. He should be given as much credit as me for coming up with this story.**

 **So, in this story I'm not going to make Naruto an orange loving goofball completely. I mean, he will have his idiotic moments but at a lot lesser scale. He will grow up to be calm and collective and he will be strong. Since I'm gonna making Naruto strong, I will also be making certain other characters strong in order to justify his strength. As the chapters keep coming, I will indulge more into the character developments as well as how the story will proceed with accordance to other characters in the story.**

 **[Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.]**

 ** _Anyway let the adventure begin_**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Prologue**

* * *

Long ago in a time forgotten by the people of the world, was an era of enduring rage and unending wars.

Mankind had been cursed to fight each other in an eternal war. They fought over petty reasons, for performing horrific crimes against one another or for no reason at all other than violence and death. Different factions often tried to better themselves by weakening their enemies so their own military strength could be greater, only for a greater force to overwhelm them later.

Humanity had a curse, a distasteful and infectious curse that all beings were infected with. One, more powerful than any war.

 _The curse of Hatred_

A potent force that can drive an innocent person to become a beast fueled by rage to hunt down those who wronged them. All the while inflicting more pain, brutality and spreading further hatred among people.

Hatred was a like a tree and it only continued to grow as more and more people were festered by it. Those who were directly affected by it and those who bared witness to those horrific outbursts of fury, no one was ever safe from it. One may even say it was genetic and had the possibility to be passed down the generations.

But, what came after hatred? Most would say healing. Healing from the pain of their lives and the pain they brought on others. Only an imbecile would believe that it would bring about a stop to hatred. What comes after hatred would be either of the following things- Emptiness, where a person would lose everything that was ever close to them, their own self: the emptiness it brought forth was like an ever-spreading fire with nothing to quench it with or even more hatred: where the anger would blind people to the truth and make them accept that the world itself was responsible for what happened to them.

Among the humans and their inherited hatred was a tree. A tree of massive height and equally massive power. A tree that was worshiped as a god. This tree had a conscious of its own but very few knew the full extent of its intellect. This tree watched as the humans around it fought and murdered each other and cheated one another for their own gain while turning a blind eye to others. The tree knew that while humanity had the capacity for good and evil, they overwhelmingly chose the latter option. The tree would often look down upon the humans and be disgusted by what it would see. At times it took pity upon them for their short lives and weakness. The colossal tree didn't know whether it liked being praised as a god or feared like the Shinigami. But it did tolerate the level of respect the humans showed it. Even the tree, with all its foresight knew that one day wisdom would be lost, hope would diminish, fate will be turned in different directions and justice would fall. It was merely waiting for that to happen and for humanity to be entirely consumed by hatred.

Every thousand years, the ' _God tree_ ' bore a fruit of immeasurable power and destruction, a fruit that held its own power within. The reasons why one could not lay their hands upon this fruit had been lost to ages.

* * *

Thousands of years ago, a man named Tenji was the leader of the Land of Ancestors. He desired for peace and tried to avoid direct confrontation with his opponents to avoid wars being wedged. He wished for a peaceful alliance and negotiations with them. One day he came across a lady who could be considered a goddess at first glance in terms of her beauty. She wore a white robe with six tomoes in the front and purple lining near her arms. She had beautiful silky and straight hair, the same color as that of snow. But what mesmerized him were her eyes. They were pupil-less giving off a silvery glow. He saw her gazing at the night sky with such patience. He had not seen this person before in his land, so he spoke to her.

"May I know who you are?" asked Tenji curiously looking at her.

The lady, for her part didn't reply for a while. A few seconds later she turned to look at him. "I'm Kaguya Otsusuki."

He found her voice to be very melodic. "Where do you come from? What do you desire here?" And again, Kaguya didn't reply for few seconds. She didn't know if she could confide to him what she wanted or where she came from. From what she felt of these vile creatures called human, they were filled with anger and darkness. Yet from him she couldn't feel much of it.

"I desire peace. Peace among everyone. A place devoid of wars and hatred." She looked at him and saw the man nod his head.

"I come not from another land in this world, but from the stars". Tenji for his part was surprised to hear this. Wanting to know more about her, he began to make small talks with her.

After that fateful day, Tenji allowed Kaguya to stay within his palace. He was glad there was another who shared the same ideals as him. They began to meet each other more often and spend more time together each passing day. Soon enough the two became lovers. His devotion to Kaguya's cause for peace made him threaten his own followers with death if they dared threaten peace with the Land of That. After Sukazu, the minister of Land of That tried to kidnap Kaguya, Tenji was horrified of Kaguya's godlike powers when he witness her kill many of his soldiers in self-defense. Eventually, Tenji decided to betray his love to prevent a war from breaking out.

However, as the two sides attempted to capture Kaguya, she ate the fruit from the ' _God Tree' (a.k.a Shinju)_ and gained unimaginable powers. With her new powers, she casted the _**Mugen Tsukuyomi** (infinite Tsukuyomi). _ As Tenji fell victim to the _**genjutsu** , _he asked her what she was, unaware that she was carrying his children.

* * *

Kaguya Otsusuki, for her benevolence for ending the wars and stopping the spread of hatred was named _Usagai No Megami_ (Rabbit Goddess) because of her two horn like protrusions which resembled rabbit ears.

Like the Shinju, Kaguya was also worshiped as a living god on earth. People bowed before her in respect and reverence for her power and divine will that many considered to have no equal. However, Kaguya had not broken the chain of hatred, instead, merely fractured it. She forced more people to submit to her iron will to stop the hatred from spreading. Her power which was once praised soon came to be feared and instead of being called the _Usagi No Megami_ she came to be known as the _Oni_ (Demon).

At some point Kaguya gave birth to two sons- Hagoromo and Hamura. Both children were born with the same power as their mother. The ability to use _chakra._ These two boys gained legendary prowess of their own using their own innate ability.

As the years passed by, the Shinju had become enraged that it's fruit was consumed by someone. Angered and outraged that its fruit was stolen, the tree's surfacing fiery hatred had appeared before Kaguya's own magnificent eyes before she even knew the consequences of her actions. The tree underwent a metamorphosis of its own, transforming into a gigantic vile creature whose image mirrored its own hatred. A beast that was christened the _Jubi_ (Ten Tails), for its ten massive tails which could split the land in half. The beast rampaged across the land hoping to retrieve the lost chakra and seek vengeance upon Kaguya for her arrogant acts. The entire world felt the might of the Jubi's hatred. The vile chakra of the fruit had corrupted Kaguya's mind. Thus, upon seeing the beast, S _hinju_ called out to her to become one with itself.

When Hagoromo and Hamura found out about their mother's inhuman act of putting people under her control and using them as puppets, they wanted to confront her. But Hagoromo knew that he didn't have enough power to go against his mother yet. He soon came across a toad by the name of _Gamamaru_ who could utilize _natural energy._ Intrigued by the power in senjutsu chakra, both Hagoromo and Hamura went to Mount Myoboku along with Gamamaru. There Hagaromo learnt to utilize _natural energy_ (senjutsu chakra).

When he returned to confront his mother, he was further shocked.

Hagoromo was horrified that his mother, who had given birth to him could become one with the vile creature in front of him. During the confrontation, Hagoromo awakend the _Ri_ _nnegan (_ god's eyes) due to the pain of harming his brother, Hamura who was being controlled by his mother. Hagoromo was fortunate that Gamamaru had given him a tag with the _kanji_ for 'heal' filled with sage chakra, which he used to heal his brother from the mortal wound Hamura received.

"Why mother? Why would you commit such atrocious acts? Don't you care about the people of this land?" asked an enraged Hagoromo.

"Chakra is everything. Its life and it is soul. It needs to be whole again, you insolent child! You dare betray me?" spoke Kaguya with an emotionless face.

The two brothers fought in a cataclysmic battle that scarred the very earth. The two sons with all their power had fought to the near end of their will to defeat the beast which was their mother. However, the Jubi was connected to the world, just as the world was connected to the Jubi. It was basically immortal. So, if they couldn't kill the beast, then the creature had to be sealed inside a person's body so to not bring about even more catastrophe.

Thus, Hagormo sealed the chakra and soul of the beast within himself and the body of his mother sealed off inside the moon which he created with one of his decisive move- _**Six Paths Chibaku Tensei**. _ The husk of the ten tails was sealed inside the moon as well. So, Hagoromo became the world's first _jinchurikii._ And like his mother before him, his own power soured to new heights. He, like his mother became a god. One even more revered than his mother, wielding the greatest weapon in the world- _chakra._

* * *

Hagoromo who later became a monk came to be regarded as the _Rikudou Sennin_ (Sage of Six Paths) while his brother Hamura went to live off his life on the moon where he could be close to their mother. Hagoromo created a religion, one which people would aspire to and believe in and give them hope. This religion was named _Ninshu_ (later known as _ninjutsu)._ He aspired to bring peace across the lands by teaching people about _chakra_ and its uses in a tranquil manner. So, Hagoromo shared his _chakra_ with different people who were willing to follow him in his quest to bring about a change in this world. He hoped, people would connect the _chakra_ with their spiritual energy ( _yin chakra)_ allowing others to understand each other.

Hagoromo later in his life had two sons. The elder one was named Indra Otsusuki and the younger one was named Ashura Otsusuki. Hagoromo knew that even with his strong physical chakra ( _yang chakra)_ he could not live very long. The reason being the extremely potent and vile chakra flowing through his _chakra coils._ Thus, he intended to teach his sons and his current followers (who he viewed as companions) to teach all he knew about chakra and ninshu before he could pass on the mantle to one of his sons.

Indra and Ashura had a relatively peaceful childhood growing up. Ashura was extremely close to his big brother Indra, whom he idealized and hoped to become like him someday. Indra, well, you could say he was more secluded out of the two young children but he still cared for Ashura a lot.

When the time came, both Indra and Ashura began to learn ninshu. It was quite clear that Indra was more intellectual and more into his studies and practicing the practical aspects of ninshu compared to Ashura, who would mostly say "It's boring! Why must I study this."

One could say Indra was a prodigy in the field of ninshu while Ashura was the complete opposite. One day, Indra created more practical uses of ninshu by stating that, " _One can use various elements of the nature by changing the flow of chakra in their body and molding it in a different manner by going through hand seals – Saru (monkey), Tatsu (dragon), Ne (rat), Tori (bird), Mi (snake), Ushi (ox), Inu (dog), Uma (horse), Tora (tiger), I (boar), Hitsuji (ram), U (hare)."_ People were extremely impressed by this discovery and some even started whispering about Indra being the one who would carry on the way of ninshu. Although Hagormo was pleased that his son was making progress in ninshu and extending its uses, somewhere he had a nagging feeling that Indra will seclude himself more as his prowess increases while Ashura would remain in his shadow. Still, he had high hopes from both his sons that they would do what he wouldn't be able to in his life- that is bring about a revolutionary change in this world that will make people understand each other even better and create a world filled with love and harmony.

It later became clear that Indra acquired his father's _yin chakra and visual prowess_ (spiritual energy) while Ashura acquired his father's _yang chakra and strong body and longevity_ (physical energy); as, in the following years Indra awakened his _sharingan_ (copy wheel eye) while saving his brother from a rampaging bear. Ever since Indra awakened the sharingan, he seemed to have become more cold towards people. He started visualizing that through power, one can conquer anything and always stuck to what is correct and incorrect and abode by his rules. Compared to his brother, Ashura was not too advanced in the usage of ninshu and he could never keep up with his brother during training sessions. Although, people did like Ashura's more cheerful and easy going attitude which in turn made him easier to talk to compared to Indra.

One day a friend of Ashura came to him asking for his help.

"Ashura my mother seems to be very ill and the cure which I'm looking for is across the forests and getting there through the forests will take time. You practice ninshu yes? Could you help me out? The man said pleadingly. Ashura was considered a friendly and helpful person thus people mostly came to him or Hagormo when in need of assistance.

"Yeah, I suppose I could do that. Just wait here and watch me." Ashura said with a smirk. He did certain hand seals and strong gust of wind was blown from the palm of his hands which tore down a pathway to the end of the forest, making a quick way to the end.

Later that day, Ashura was reprimanded by Indra on blindly helping someone without considering the matter because the man who Ashura helped just wanted the forests cut down for his own selfish gains. Indra later locked the man in a dungeon and warned Ashura not to go near him. Ashura being a forgiving person went to get him out. However, when Ashura got the man out of the cave (dungeon was inside the cave), they came across Indra waiting there.

"What are you doing Ashura? Did I not tell you not to go near the imbecile?" Indra asked in a monotone voice. His face showing no emotion whatsoever.

"Nii-san, we should give him another chance. Punishing someone for such futile acts is not the way. And he hasn't harmed anyone." Said Ashura.

"It doesn't matter. What he did was against the rules and he must pay the price for it." It was said in such an uncaring manner that it made Ashura flinch.

Ashura jumped in front of the man to protect him. Indra jumped towards Ashura and pushed him towards the tree. Ashura hit the tree before falling to the ground. He wouldn't admit, but his nii-san hits hard. Indra, quicker than a flash had his hand inside the man's chest sparkling with _ration chakra_ (lightning chakra). "NII-SAN WHY DID YOU DO THAT!?" Ashura was astonished that his nii-san could kill someone just like that.

When Indra turned to glare at his brother, Ashura saw the three tomoes in his eyes spinning in a threatening way. That moment he saw the hatred in his brother's eyes. " **This world needs order. It needs change. And it is only through power, one can hope to bring about such a revolution** _."_

That's all Indra said darkly before vanishing from the spot. Ashura for his part, could not comprehend why his brother started acting in an uncaring way ever since he awakened the sharingan. He often felt intimidated by those eyes but shrugged it off thinking it was nothing. After a while he made a grave for the man and just stood in front of it in the stillness of the night. When he turned to his right, he saw his tou-san(father) standing beside him.

"Indra has changed Ashura. His eyes are like my mother's. Those eyes give him unimaginable power. He desires order in this world and wants to do it in his way. The way he goes about ninshu is not how I intended it to be spread." Hagoromo said with a tired sigh. After a few seconds of silence, Ashura walked away from the spot.

As years passed by it became more noticeable why Indra was hailed as a genius. He could accomplish anything with little to no effort and started living a solitary life. He primely believed other people would merely inhibit his growth and potential. Ashura on the other hand could do nothing on his own. But through his determination and will, along with the ideals of relying on others, his friends, did Ashura's talents bloom like a flower in spring. While unlike Indra who lead a solitary life believing that others would only hinder him, Ashura became a capable leader, amassing many loyal followers most of whom were his childhood friends. He like his father wished began to spread ninshu to the world through the help of his friends.

Upon his deathbed seeing both Indra's and Ashura's accomplishments did the sage choose between the two of them, the heir of ninshu- _The prodigious son Indra or the no-good, untalented Ashura._ Knowing of his younger son's exploits and the quality of never giving up on the good inside people, gave Hagoromo hope that cooperation and love would bring about true peace. While lust of power and dominance would only bring about a temporary peace.

Thus, Ashura was chosen as the heir to Ninshu. Hearing this Indra walked out of the room angered at his father's choice while Ashura was shocked.

"Father, why me? Nii-san would do a better job compared to me." Said Ashura.

"While I do believe, Indra is ahead of you in certain aspects but ninshu should be spread to teach love, compassion and be used to bring peace. One must be kind and filled with love and have great patience for that. Those are the qualities I see in you my son."

Later that night when everyone was celebrating, Ashura went to meet his father again. A doubt somewhere in his mind that his father made a wrong choice still lingering in his mind. He came upon the door which led to the hall where his father sat and made slow walk. He soon reached the place and saw his father sitting there with his eyes closed. "Was it the right choice _otou-san_?" Ashura asked in a low whisper. Hagoromo opened his eyes which seemed to give an eerie purplish glow and had several concentric circles and a small black dot as a pupil. He stared at his younger son for a while and answered "Ashura, the world has always been in constant fighting and wars and have started on some of the most unthinkable things. Human life is a precious thing which should not be wasted in fighting wars. It is my belief that one day, the world shall know true peace. Love and compassion are essential part of that. Indra is turning more and more like my mother each passing day. Bringing peace to the world via power and dominance is only temporary and with time people come to fear the power dominating them as they cannot comprehend it. Come here my son, I shall now pass on to you what is now yours." Ashura approached his father whereupon, Hagoromo touched Ashura's forehead with his two fingers and passed on his _yang chakra_ (also included six paths senjutsu powers).

In another part of the village, Indra had just killed his two most loyal followers with a tear stained face have a single thought in his mind " _whenever someone close to me dies, my sharingan evolves_ ". Soon, his sharingan evolved to the Mangekyou sharingan; three tomoes converging in together to take the shape of six pointed star. Furious over his father's choice and being denied what he felt was his, Indra challenged his father's decision. Overcome with anger, jealousy and hate, Indra attacked Ashura trying to claim what he felt was his birthright. However, Ashura with the help of other's chakra converging with his and his _rikudou_ (six paths) powers, awakened the ability to use mokuton and could defeat his older brother. Indra, not taking his loss lightly left the area before stating he would never follow his way of ninshu and spend his life trying to destroy him.

A few weeks after Indra had left, Hagoromo was counting his final few months on his bed. He knew, he didn't have very long to live. He also knew once he dies, the _Jubi_ would be free again.

To prevent that, he separated the chakra of the ten tails into nine separate parts and using _Omnyoton: Banbutso Sozo_ (creation of all things) made bodies for the nine chakras ranging from _ichibi_ (one tails) to _kyuubi_ (nine tails). He later breathed life into his nine children (Hagoromo called the bijuus his children) and put the chakra in the respective bodies, each bijuu having a different ability.

A few months later, Hagoromo went to his mindscape to have few last words with his nine children. He looked at _Kurama (kyuubi)_ with a somber look on his face. Kurama had a few tears rolling down his face athough he was trying hard to keep up the tough act. He was his eldest child and knew how much it would hurt him.

A few seconds later he looked at all of them with a serene smile on his face a said " _I will not live much longer. Shukaku (one tails), Matatabi (two tails), Isobu (three tails), Son Goku (four tails), Kokuo (five tails), Saiken (six tails), Chomei (seven tails), Gyuki (eight tails) and Kurama (nine tails). Even if you are far apart, you will always be together. You will be in different sizes from how you are now and have different names. But there will come a time when you will be lead down the right path. I hope you learn what true strength is..."_

Hagoromo looks at Kurama and smiles slightly and says "... _before that time."_

* * *

The feud between the brothers escalated between their respective families, causing war to erupt between them which continued for ages to come. Never ending through the generations, endless bitter hatred.

Indra's descendant took the name Uchiha. The flames of their hatred continuously burning. While Ashura's descendant would later be called the Senju clans, inheriting their forefather's ideals of peaceful coexistence and love. Later down the line, a man named Saito Senju left his brethren who were more concerned with the war era. Saito himself was a peace-loving man. As the years passed, Saito changed his name to Saito Uzumaki and mastered the arts of _fuinjutsu and kenjutsu_ to an impressive degree where he could call himself a master in those fields. He soon married a woman named Toshiri Kurahara and lived his life away from the fighting. Although he did keep close relation to the Senjus. (Saito lived 4 or 5 centuries before the warring era state)

However, something occurred that had not been seen before. While the two brothers died, their chakra remained even after their bodies were destroyed. Causing the brothers to reincarnate themselves into other individuals throughout the history within their descendants, fueling and continuing the brother's bloody battle. And with each transmigration, the reincarnations would grow stronger. Thus, after several generations, came the story of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, the reincarnations of Ashura and Indra Otsusuki. They too started out as friends and saw each other as brothers. The two often fought among themselves, but it wasn't something they couldn't shake off. Eventually, the Senju and Uchiha clans founded Konohagakure No Sato (Village Hidden in the leaves). But somewhere along the line, especially after the _death_ of his brother, Izuna Uchiha, Madara started to see what he currently believed in was only a hollow truth. That his current belief wouldn't bring the kind of peace he and his brother wished for and coupled with the pain of his brother's _death_ , made his belief waver and his hatred towards the shinobi world increase. So, Hashirama and Madara battled again; continuing the feud between Indra and Ashura. Madara eventually fell in battle against Hashirama. Soon, Hashirama too succumbed to his extreme injuries and passed away.

* * *

Once again Ashura and Indra would reincarnate in their descendants. This time stronger than before and somehow, they both knew their battles in this life would escalate to become more gruesome, bloodier and would be a path that would turn them topsy-turvy.

* * *

 **Okay. So, that's the end of the prologue. I did not want to extend it too much and yes, I know I kept extremely similar to the cannon. There will be several unexpected twists as the story goes, which, I'm pretty sure it will make the story more interesting to read.**

 **The next chapter will be coming a week later, mostly on December 7, 2016. Next time, the story will entail the birth of Naruto.**

 **Please do Follow, Favorite and Review the story so I can also take into considerations of the ideas of those who will be reading the story!**

 **Until next time!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Notes-** **Hello fellow readers! This chapter marks the beginning of the actual story which will involve the main characters. I really appreciate the reviews/comments which were given to the prologue, even the negative comments. Although, I would like to say is that, stay tuned to the story and see if I do update regularly instead of claiming it beforehand about my friend and I being irregular. My friend and I intend to make it a long fanfiction, possibly around 500-600k and I will be going into detail for certain parts of story, so it will be easier to comprehend certain unexplained facts in the main story of Naruto. Please do keep in mind its an alternate universe, so there will be certain characters who won't act exactly the same way as they did in canon although they will retain some original aspects which we often tend to associate the character with. I do agree, I may not know everything there is to know about Naruto, but I do assure the facts which I will be stating in this fanfiction will have a proper explanation to them and the jutsus that I will be using in this fanfiction will not be baseless or senseless and will have the same principle behind them as in the canon with maybe bits of added properties to them. But cannot say about that for sure now, about the added part. As the story progresses, you all will come across that.**

 **Now, to make the character's ages clear in accordance to the timeline that I will be using is: (it was a rough sketch made)**

 **Minato and Kushina- 12 years (Jiraiya, Orochi, Tsunade and Sakumo- 20 years) Sakumo gets married around 20 years of age**

 **Minato and Kushina- 13 years (Jiraiya, Orochi, Tsunade and Sakumo- 21 years) Kakashi is born around when Sakumo is 21.**

 **Minato and Kushina- 18 years (Jiraiya, Orochi, Tsunade and Sakumo- 26 years) Kakashi is 5 years and joins academy.**

 **Minato and Kushina- 19 years (Jiraiya, Orochi, Tsunade and Sakumo- 27 years) Kakashi is 6 and becomes a genin. Sakumo dies around the age of 27 and in the next few months Kakashi makes chunin.**

 **Minato and Kushina- 24 years (Jiraiya, Orochi an** **d Tsunade- 32 years) Kakashi is 11 years and makes jounin. Rin and Obito made genin. Team Minato is formed, made of Rin, Obito and Kakashi. After the third shinobi war ends, Minato is made 4th Hokage.**

 **Minato and Kushina- 25 years (Jiraiya, Orochi and Tsunade- 33 years) Kakashi is 12 years old and joins Anbu. (you shall see why in the story) Naruto is born to Minato and Kushina around this time on October 10.** **As the story progresses, the age of the characters in accordance to the timeline will be posted along with the chapter.**

 **[Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.]**

 _**Anyway lets begin with the adventure.**_

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Birth of Prophecy**

* * *

In every shinobi village, there is a reminder of their previous leaders and heroes to honor their memory and sacrifices they made to protect and defend their homes. In _Konohagakure no Sato,_ there is a certain mountain that shows exactly that.

The mountain is called the _Hokage (leader of Konoha) Mountain_ and in it are carved the previous and current Hokage of the Leaf and portrays the faces of the legendary shinobis.

 _Hashirama Senju (Shodaime Hoakge)_ was theformer leader of the Senju Clan, one of the co-founders of the Leaf Village and the first user of the **Mokuton** element. He was a caring and kind person who only wished for peace among the different lands. All the villagers had an utmost respect for him. He had married a woman named Mito Uzumaki from the Uzumaki Clan, who were a sister clan to the Senju Clan. Following his battle with his best friend, Madara Uchiha and during one of the many wars that were raging during the revolutionary era, Hashirama had developed mortal wounds that rendered him unable to fight. Due to his weakened state, he had to pass on the mantle of Hokage to his brother, Tobirama Senju. He was at the time of his death, a shell of his former self. But even now, about five decades after his death, he's still remembered by everyone in the village as one of the greatest Hokages to have ever served Konoha.

The second face belonged to _Tobirama Senju_ _(Nidaime Hokage)._ He was Hashirama's younger brother and became Hokage shortly before his brother's death. He too was an exceptionally strong shinobi. In fact, each of the Hokage were hailed as the strongest shinobi of their time. Tobirama was known for his sensory abilities and extremely strong suiton affinity (water affinity). It allowed him to use high rank suiton techniques in places without any water source by condensing the water molecules present in the air. He lost his life fighting in the First Shinobi world war. But before his death, he appointed Hiruzen Sarutobi, one of his students as the _Sandaime Hokage._

The third face on the monument was of Hiruzen Sarutobi of the Sarutobi Clan, known for their monkey summoning and extreme skill in _taijutsu (hand to hand combat)._ Hiruzen is currently around 41 years old. He's one of the most powerful shinobi in the village but in his prime he was given the moniker of _Shinobi No Kami._ Mostly because of his proficient skill in taijutus and his ability to use all forms of chakra nature that allowed him to use a wide range of elemental ninjutsu. Hiruzen is the current leader of the Leaf Village.

* * *

It was a time of recuperation among the great five nations-Fire, Wind, Water, Earth and Lightning Nation. The Third Great Shinobi World War had ended a while back. Even though there weren't any more battles taking place among nations, they were still weary of each other and were keeping track of other village's rate of progress.

Nations were left winded and were severely weakened as most their shinobi had perished fighting for their nation/village. Although one could say it was _Iwagakure No Sato_ and _Kirigakure No Sato_ who had suffered the most among the great five nations. Iwagakure because of a man who showed unparalleled battle prowess in the age of this war and one who single handedly won his nation the war. This man was _Konoha No Kirroi Senko_ (Yellow Flash of Leaf).

Among his peers, he was called Minato Namikaze. He stands at an even height of six feet. His hair was golden blond, which was rare no matter which country you were in. The hair was spiky and went down to his shoulders; two large bangs framed his face, while several smaller bangs hovered just a little over his eyes. His eyes were a mix of violet and blue, although it mostly looked violet in color. Holding up those bangs was a Hitea-ate with Konoha Leaf symbol on it, the tie itself was blue. His clothing consisted of a pair of blue shinobi pants, which were wrapped from mid-calf in white bandages that went into a pair of black combat boots. His shirt was blue and covered his whole arms and skin tight. Over it he wore a jounin flak jacket.

Now _Kirigakure No Sato_ seemed mostly neutral in the war and played their cards when they felt it was plausible. They didn't lose much of their shinobi unlike the other nations. However, they did lose their _bijuu (tailed beast), Sanbi (three tails)_ to Konoha in their attempt to set the bijuu free inside the leaf village _._ Kirigakure is now only left with _Rokubi (six tails),_ which is sealed inside Yagura.

Even though the cards were stacked against Konohagakure No Sato, they emerged victorious in the Third Shinobi World War. They were put against _Kumogakure No Sato, Iwagakure No Sato and Kirigakure No Sato_ and yet they fought to keep their nation safe from harm. Konoha always believed in the phrase " _Hi No Ishi" (will of fire)._ It is their belief that one must possess the "Hi No Ishi" to feel the need to protect their home and precious people, which in turn brings out their latent ability to surface. The shinobi of Konoha fought together, bled together and emerged victorious together at the end of the gruesome war.

* * *

A couple of months after the third shinobi war, when the situation around the different villages had cooled down a bit, Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen stepped down as Hokage to pass on the hat to his successor, Minato Namikaze, who was chosen as the Yondaime Hokage (fourth hokage). Minato was beyond glad. He had achieved one of his dreams, of being able to lead his village as Hokage one day and another one would be coming true too in the coming months, of starting a family. Kushina and he married secretly earlier, when the war was still on. Their wedding gathering was kept to a bare minimum. Hiruzen, Biwako, Jiraiya and Tsunade being the only one. A month ago, Kushina had informed him that he was going to be a father. Words couldn't explain how happy felt at that time. Being an orphan himself, he understood the value of family.

* * *

Everyone felt it was time for Sarutobi to step down as Hokage. Even though he was one of the strongest shinobi in the elemental nations, it was obvious the job was demanding a lot of him.

Leading your village to victory in two great shinobi wars as Hokage was not an easy job. Sarutobi still grimaced at many of his failures during his time as Hokage.

The fate of the Uzumaki Clan as such.

Tobirama Senju had selected him as Sandaime after his death, at the end of the First Shinobi World War.

The Second Shinobi War was almost over. Kirigakure had retreated from the war as they didn't have many soldiers to offer to Kumogakure and Iwagakure. To salvage something from this war in their favor, Iwagakure and Kumogakure formed an alliance with Sunagakure to launch an all-out attack on Uzi No Kuni with their remaining shinobi, which was the residing place of the famed Uzumaki Clan. The Uzumaki Clan were known for their mastery in _fuinjutsu_ and _kenjutsu._ The other nations feared the might of the Fire nation when coupled with those from Uzi No Kuni. As the saying goes, to cripple an enemy one must get rid of their allies, when the enemy is at their weakest. It was a single clan against three great nations. The Uzumaki Clan had gotten sent a request to Konoha to aid them in the battle. Hiruzen knew, at that point of time, his village didn't have the strength to stand up against three great villages. Yet, he sent some of his best men to get those out who were still alive by the end of the battle. Speaking of the battle, it was bloody. The whirlpools surrounding the land were glowing in red. The land gave off a heavy stink of iron. Bodies were slaughtered. Even though the Uzumaki clan was wiped out, they ended up destroying three-fourth of the enemy.

There was one girl who was found hidden out of sights. She was Kushina Uzuamki, daughter of the deceased Uzukage. She was taken to Konoha and she stayed with Mito Uzumaki, given the two were relatives. Kushina had an incredibly potent chakra, through which she could make _chakra chains._ That was an ability, Kushina discovered she shared with Mito. Even among the Uzumaki, not everyone had the ability to create chains from chakra. It was said that, these chakra chains had the ability to hold down bijuus (tailed beasts) itself.

Hiruzen did everything he could to make sure Kushina had a normal childhood in Konoha. For a child to witness the horrors of a war is never a pleasant thing. Mito, who was the jinchuriki of the _Kyuubi No Yoko,_ in her old age had to pass on the _Kyuubi_ to Kushina. It was not because she wanted to. It was out of necessity and only an Uzumaki could contain the great beast. Thus, Kushina Uzumaki became the second jinchuriki of the _nine-tailed demon fox._

He grimaced again thinking about Rin Nohara and Naruto's fate. She was a student of Minato. She had an average height, one of the most beautiful brown hair and a single purple stripe on each cheek like that of the Inuzuka Clan. She was in a genin team with Kakashi Hatake and Obito Uchiha. Although Kakashi showed a cold demeaner to almost everyone after his father, Sakumo Hatake's death, he tried to get along with his team. Rin was sort of the moderator of the team. She kept Kakashi and Obito in check whenever they got in a fight. Even though Rin wasn't a front-line fighter like her teammates, she excelled in medical field. She and Kakashi got closer after Obito's untimely death during their first C rank mission on Kannabi bridge at the end of the Third Shinobi War. It was that mission that gave rise to _Sharingan No Kakashi._ Obito, during his final moments gave his newly awakened sharingan to Kakashi as a gift for his promotion to Jounin.

To make sure, she did not have to witness another death of one of her colleagues, she worked hard day in and day out to improve her medical ninjutsu. Hiruzen still remembered Rin asking him, if Tsunade would be returning to village anytime soon; as she wanted to further her studies under Tsunade if she agreed to help her. When the third shinobi war was its end, Kirigakure kidnapped Rin from within the leaf village. She was made into the Sanbi jinchuriki with an extremely weak seal which would release the Sanbi, once she's within the leaf village and eventually kill her. It was Kakashi who first noticed that she was missing from the village. He immediately informed the Sandaime and Minato about this. Minato and Kakashi soon went after her trail and found her among several Kiri Anbu. Both of them took quick care of the Anbu around and quickly returned to the village. Fortunately for Rin as well as the Leaf Village, Jiraiya and Minato fixed the seal for the time being. Rin's chakra wasn't powerful enough to hold down a bijuu. Also, the sudden influx of the three tails potent chakra was overwhelming her chakra coils. Hence, their predicament being that they had to look for a new jinchuriki and somehow convince Tsunade to come back. She was the only one who had the expertise to save Rin, after the extraction of the bijuu. Rin had to be kept in the hospital's separate wing only meant for the Hokage. She was under constant supervision to ensure her safety.

The only soon to be born child who would be strong enough to hold Sanbi down was Naruto. Being an Uzumaki provided him with potent chakra and longevity. Kushina at first was adamant about not being able to bring herself to do it to her baby son. It wasn't any less difficult for Minato. But he knew, as a soon to be kage, the welfare of the village will fall on his hands. Also with Kushina and him alive, they will be able to look after Naruto. Kushina, being a jinchuriki herself could help Naruto with the hardships that came with the life. Thus, after many arguments and stating the pros of making their son the Sanbi jinchuriki, Kushina agreed to it. Minato planned to use the _Hakke Fuin(_ eight tetragram seal) for the sealing of the three tails.

The only people aware of this situation were Minato, Jiraiya, Sandaime, Kushina, Kakashi and the three elders of Konoha. Them being, Danzo Shimura, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane.

Four months after Minato was chosen as the Yondaime Hokage and because of the end of Third Shinobi War a temporary peace had prevailed across different villages. The populace of Konoha seemed pleased and safe with Minato as their Hokage. They knew he would protect them from all uncertainties. The civilians and ninja alike went as far as to claim Minato as the greatest hero the Hidden Leaf Village had seen. He was the first shinobi in the elemental nations to be given the SS rank status and a flee on sight order. He was also able to convince Tsunade to return to village. When Minato explained the situation to her, she couldn't bring herself to say no to him looking at his pleading face and the predicament he and his family was in. Jiraiya too, stayed more in the village to have a regular check on Rin's seal and because of Tsunade, Minato and Kushina.

* * *

 _ **Four months later**_

In the past four months, a lot had changed in the Konohagakure No Sato. Since Minato's ascension to the Hokage position, he had taken control of the shinobi and civilian council in his hand. No council could act without his knowledge nor could they hold any meetings in the council chamber without alerting him regarding the issue at hand. Only in case of war, will the shinobi council gain complete autonomy of making any decision concerning the welfare of the village. The civilian council though they argued against that, begrudgingly agreed upon being reminded who the leader of the village is.

The medical facility of the village had vastly improved since Tsunade had taken control of workings of the hospital. Her apprentice Shizune Kato, had helped her immensely in this aspect. She was glad her suggestion of one medic per team was authorized by Minato. This would increase the survival rate of the shinobi during missions greatly if the medics are trained accurately. She had started a program of selecting young genins who had good chakra control to be taught in the arts of medical ninjutsu. Rin's condition, although it was still fragile seemed to be more stable since Tsunade took charge of her health. She had to apply healing chakra over her chakra network daily to keep the stress of Sanbi's potent chakra to a minimum. The guards were still posted outside of Rin's room in case of an emergency.

Kakashi too had changed from his cold deamenour towards everyone. He had joined up in ANBU now, seeing as his team was no more. He started appreciating his comrades more. Though he wasn't sure wether to be thankful for the cause of this change. He had lost a lot in life. From his father committing seppuku (suicide), to one of his teammates/now closest friend dying and now another on the verge of dieing. Kakashi was glad to have found a father figure in his sensei. Minato and Kushina were both close to Obito, Rin and Kakashi. Obito's death had saddened them both and now seeing Rin in her current condition didn't make situation any easy for them. Kakashi knew, Minato was going to have a child soon and the decision of the three tails to be sealed into him. He vowed to himself to look after the kid and help him guide along the right path. Kakashi was also glad to have little brother figure soon in his life.

* * *

 _ **Night of October 10**_

Jiraiya, Minato, Kushina, Tsunade and Hiruzen were inside Hokage office. There were seals glowing around the room alerting the people in the room of the fact that they were not going to be disturbed or overheard. Minato was sitting behind his desk with Hiruzen standing next to him. Kushina was sitting on a nearby sofa along with Tsunade. Jiraiya was standing in a corner across the room. The last few months had also taken its toll on everyone. Kushina was suffering from exhaustion during pregnancy. She was constantly worried about her seal which held the nine tails and about the sealing of the three tails into Naruto. Minato was working constantly as well along with Jiraiya to ensure the nine tails didn't break free during the child delivery and the sealing of the three tails.

Jiraiya stood looking at the people in the room. He sighed knowing that his apprentice was worried. Even he was. Until the ordeal of Naruto's birth and the sealing of Sanbi was over with, none of them could act naturally. He often took care of Kushina at her house when the others were busy with their work. He really thought of her as a daughter now from these last few months. Minato and Kushina even asked him to be the godfather of their kid. He was of course happy to accept.

Seeing that everyone has been quiet for a while, Hiruzen cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention.

"As we know, Kushina will deliver the child at the safety of the Hokage safehouse. Only we, the caretakers, Biwako and Tsunade in charge of delivering Naruto know what is happening. Tsunade, would you ask Shizune-chan to stay with Rin since you won't be around to check up on her tonight?" Tsunade nodded. "Once Naruto is delivered, Jiraiya will take him to the sealing chambers and Minato will re-check the seal holding Kyuubi. Later, Minato will get Rin to the sealing chambers, where the three tails will be safely transferred to Naruto. While the sealing will take place, Shizune-chan will look after Kushina and Tsunade will be alongside Rin to ensure her safety after the extraction of the three tails. Does everyone understand?"

"Hai" everyone said at once.

"Good, the task beings tonight. Minato and Jiraiya, have you prepared yourself for any case?"

"Hai Hiruzen-sama." Minato said. Jiraiya settled for nodding his head.

"Good. I will see you all when this is over then. Be careful and good luck."

* * *

Tsunade, Biwako and the care takers had already arrived at the Hokage safe house along with Kushina, who was beginning to go in her labor. Outside the safe house were several _ANBU_ , who were guarding the place. They had been briefed on the details and had been sworn to utmost secrecy by both the Sandaime and Yondaime.

Minato along with Jiraiya soon arrived at the Hokage safe house and saw Kushina already in labor. Minato dashed to Kushina's side and saw her screaming and held one of her hands with his left and his right hand on Kushina's seal to hold back the Kyuubi. Jiraiya stod next to his pupil while Tsunade and Biwako were working on the child's delivery.

"Ahhhhhhhh" screamed Kushina as she was starting to push, fully clad in a hospital gown and a sheen of sweat coating her face.

"Come on Kushina, you're doing fine." Minato said in a soothing excitement as he stood next to the mother of his child.

Kushina gulped in more air to let out another agonizing scream. "Damn you Minato! This is all your fault, you bastard!" she roared at the Hokage as she she crushed his hand that held hers as a sign of support. The blond male did his best to not grunt in pain while also keeping the Kyuubi in check. But he couldn't help himself from falling to his knees from the woman's deathly grip.

"That's it Kushina-chan you're nearly there! I'm starting to see the head!" Tsunade exclaimed.

"Just hurry the hell up and get him out of me!" Kushina shouted back.

"You're doing great Kushina. Just a little more and it will all be over soon." Encouraged Minato.

"Oh, don't give me that! I wouldn't even be in this mess if it wasn't for you! You know! Screamed Kushina. With a sporadic mind in the heat of the moment, she suddenly raised her free hand to strike the young kage in the face.

Before she could hit him though, Minato quickly used the **Kawirami No Jutsu** (Substitution jutsu) to replace himself with the nearest thing to him and quickly placed both his hands on Kushina's seal to keep the bijuu in check. Unfortunately for the target, who was Jiraiya, was quickly launched through the walls by Kushina's punch.

" _Sorry sensei, better you than me. The strength of her hits is almost on par with Tsunade-sama. It's just scary!"_ Minato thought sympathetically as he gazed at the Jiraiya-shaped hole in the wall. The legendary shinobi's legs were sticking out and dangling over the broken piece of the wall and were the only parts of him visible from his laid position on his back. Luckily, the room he burst into was empty, leaving only the small group to hear his groans of misery.

Although Tsunade wanted to laugh witnessing the scene in front of her, she couldn't as she currently had to focus on getting Naruto out of his mother.

Minato was pulled out of his train of thought when Kushina screamed again. "Get this fucking kid out before he kills me!"

"It's almost done Kushi-chan. Just one more push!" Tsunade said eagerly.

"You heard her, you're almost there! You can do it!" Minato added with a growing smile.

Kushina glared with her violet eyes at Minato and gave him a death glare. "Shut up! I would like to see you try and push out a child that doesn't want to leave!"

It was but after a minute or two when Kushina gave one final shout of exertion and the first cry from the baby silenced the room. Tsunade wasn't stopped and with a gentle smile grabbed the newborn and cut the umbilical cord. Cleaned and wrapped him up in a small forest green blanket before handing her to Kushina.

Minato was overjoyed hearing his son's first cry. He couldn't believe he was a father now. By this time Jiraiya had already recovered from his unfortunate accident and stood beside Minato with a wide smile on his face. "So, Minato, how do you feel? Now that you are a father?" Jiraiya asked eagerly. "I don't know sensei. It's overwhelming." Said Minato in a trance like state.

Just as Tsunade handed the baby to her daughter-like figure, she gently said, "Kushi-chan, allow me to introduce you to your son, Uzumaki Naruto."

* * *

 _Meanwhile_

Hirzuen was calmly looking at the village from top of the Hokage Tower. Suddenly he felt the wind change. He knew something important has taken place or is going to take place. One may call it years of shinobi experience or just an aged man's intuition. He knew the coming time is going to be certainly different. He just didn't know how right he was.

The toads have been one of summoning contracts of Konohagakure No Sato for around three decades now. They are said to be among the mightiest summons including the Slugs and the snakes. Mount Myoboku is the place, where the toad clan resides. Among the toads, there was one extremely old toad who was known by their summoner and the other toads as the **Grand Toad Elder**. He was the size of a battle toad, almost half the size of the hokage monument. But in his old age, he couldn't move around much. Hence, he sat in his seat almost all the time.

He too felt the sudden change in wind and instantly had a small smile on his aged wrinkled face. He now knew, the prophecy he prophesized about a very long time back to his friend had begun. He immediately called upon the nearby toads to ask them to inform Fukasaku to summon Jiraiya as soon as possible.

* * *

 _Back in Konoha at the Hokage safe house_

The tired but happy Kushina gazed down at the still crying baby in her arms with glistening eyes. "Hello little one." She cooed as she brushed her hands over the baby's bright blond hair which seemed long for his age, smiling with as much love as she could muster.

Soon Naruto stopped crying as he looked up to his mother to show his curious and mesmerizing violet eyes. After what seemed like an eternity of childish contemplation, he finally smiled back. Making him look even more adorable to everyone else.

"Look, his eyes are violet just like Minato and Kushina although he has Minato's hair and face. He's almost like a mini Minato." Jiraiya said with a chuckle.

"Yes, but it looks like he has Kushina's nose, chin and ears. His skin tone is even a lighter shade like Kushina's and his eyes are the same shape as her's. Oh, and look at those whisker marks!" Tsunade almost squealed at the end out of pure adoration towards the adorable baby Naruto.

"He is, isn't he?" Kushina whispered more to herself. She couldn't keep the smile from her face as she took in every detail of the baby. In her mind, he was the most adorable thing she had ever seen and most probably the most beautiful entity.

"Don't you agree Minato?" Kushina asked without looking away.

"Definitely, and when he gets older he'll be popular with the ladies." Minato chuckled with a slight gleaming gaze.

"Hn. Like those hussies have a chance with my Naru-chan. Let them try and sink their claws in my baby. They must deal with me then." Said Kushina with mock glare at Minato which made everyone chuckle instead of him, who just felt a slight shiver run down his spine.

Minato slowly kneeled and touched his son's face and kissed him on the forehead making him gurgle. He then looked Kushina straight in the eyes with a loving gaze and said, "Thank you Kushi-chan. He's the most beautiful thing we have ever done together. And I promise, I shall protect our baby boy and you with all that I have in me."

Suddenly there was a puff of smoke and Fukasaku was standing on Jiraiya's shoulder. He looked around where he was and his eyes fell on Naruto's smilling form still looking around curiously. 'Is he the child Great toad elder was talking about _?_ Fukasaku thought and then tried to get a sense of his still undeveloped chakra coils in the baby's body using senjutsu. 'Astounding! the potency of his chakra which is going to be formed will be unimaginable!'Fukasaku thought amazed.

"What are you doing here Fukasaku-sensei?" Jiraiya asked. "Oh, Jiraiya-chan, the great toad elder has summoned you, and its important. It's about the prophecy." Fukasaku said finally taking his eyes off Naruto. Naruto, meanwhile was looking at the talking toad in a very manner and gurgled as if trying to laugh.

"Now? Do we really have to go now? Naruto is born right now. Can't it be done a bit later? Jiraiya asked. "No, it can't be Jiraiya-chan. It's necessary." Jiraiya looked a bit down upon hearing that. He looked at Minato and gave him a knowing look. Soon, Jiraiya along with Fukasaku vanished out of everyone's sight indicating that they were reverse summoned.

"Kushi-chan, I'd like to take Naruto to the maternity ward to make sure that he's in good health. I also want to give you a sedative that will make you sleep for a while so that your body can rest and recover from the strain." Said Tsunade professionally.

"Fine, but I don't want anyone going but you touching my Naru-chan. Is that clear?" Kushina requested tiredly, the excitement finally getting to her mentally and physically. She immediately fell into unconsciousness as her eyes became to drool from the heavy exhaustion her body recently go through.

"Of course, I wasn't going to let anyone near him anyhow." Tsunade whispered slowly before proceeding to take Naruto from Kushina's hands.

Just as Tsunade took baby Naruto into her arms, there was swirling of air beside her, from which a man appeared. He kicked Tsunade away and took Naruto into his arms and immediately put a kunai through Biwako's heart who ran toward Naruto upon seeing him being taken by an unknown individual.

Tsunade had quickly recovered upon being kicked away and saw that Minato was helping her up. Screams ran through the room as the pair saw Biwako and the caretakers fall to the ground around them. Minato and Tsunade finally saw a man now standing in Tsunade's previous place, an orange mask on his face and a black cloak over his body. He held Naruto in his arms who was crying hysterically, with a kunai ready to kill him too.

"Naruto!" Minato and Tsunade shouted.

* * *

 _Meanwhile in Mount Myoboku_

Jiraiya along with Fukasaku who was now standing on the ground beside him were now standing in the sacred land of the toads. In front of Jiraiya, there were several statues of toads which seemed to be made of stone. These statues were in fact living toads who failed to control the amount of senjutsu chakra flowing through their body.

"So, what's the matter sensei?" Jiraiya asked looking down at the small toad beside him. "Walk with me Jiraiya-chan and all shall be explained to you in due time." Said Fukasaku

"Hey don't talk with me in riddles. Tell me what's going on that you had to bring me all the way here at such an important time." Jiraiya said indignantly. Fukasaku remained calm and did not bother replying to the self-proclaimed pervert and started walking towards the chambers where the great toad elder resided.

Jiraiya seeing that he wasn't going to get any answers from him decided to follow him to the older sage. On the way to the chambers, Jiraiya voiced his concerns. "You said it's about the prophecy. Has the Elder-sama had another dream regarding the _Child of Prophecy_? Jiraiya inquired in a serious manner.

"It's not a dream per say. He says he felt a sudden change in the wind. His senjutsu prowess is even greater than mine. So, it should not surprise you he could feel something or someone as far as in Konoha. He did not tell me much about it. Just that it has something important to do regarding that prophecy and asked me to summon you immediately." Said Fukasaku still looking in front of him.

Jiraiya and Fukasaku soon reached upon two large doors which were guarded two battle attired toads. The two toads upon seeing the pair walking towards the door opened it for them.

The great toad elder who was sitting on his seat had his eyes closed while Jiraiya and Fukasaku approached him. Upon looking at him, one might say he's just a senile old geezer who seems to be oblivious to his surroundings. Which is true to some point as the elder toad seems have a sort of short term memory at times.

Fukasaku croaked once to gain the great elder toad's attention and said "I have summoned Jiraiya-chan for you."

"Uhm who did you summon again?" the old toad asked not remembering himself asking Fukasaku to summon anyone.

"You senile old fart, Jiraiya-chan, our summoner. You asked me to summon him regarding the Child of Prophecy." Yelled an annoyed Fukasaku.

"AH... yes. Jiraiya." Spoke the elder toad as if he remembered something important now.

All this while, Jiraiya who was standing beside Fukasaku, sighed upon hearing his conversation again, for most probably the thousandth time. Jiraiya bowed to him once and spoke "Elder-sama why is it that you have summoned me? Fukasaku sensei told me it is something important regarding the Child of Prophecy."

He now looked straight at the great elder toad and said proudly "I know Minato is the child of prophecy. He has excelled me in all aspects of being a shinobi. He even surpassed me in senjutsu training. Although, I shouldn't be much surprised. He was always a prodigy when it came to shinbi arts. He even shares the same dream as me, of bringing peace to this war stricken world." Jiraiya was indeed very proud of his prized pupil. Minato was his greatest accomplishment till now and he believed he would be till the very end.

The elder toad seemed amused upon hearing what Jiraiya had to say. "The Child of Prophecy has taken birth today Jiraiya. I'm certain of it. This sudden change of wind, I have felt it only once before. And this time the wind seems much stronger than the previous time I felt." Spoke the great toad sagely.

"Do you remember the prophecy I told you about?" asked the elder toad.

"Yes. I do remember. _There will come a time, when a man who proclaims himself as a hermit shall lead a boy with violet eyes to bring about a great change in the accursed war stricken world. This child shall unite all the bijuus and befriend them._ That is what you told me a long time back." Said Jiraiya.

"Yes, that is true. The child has taken birth today. You must look after him Jiraiya. Train him, teach him the ways of the world and make sure his heart stays pure. The child shall be the guide that will lead this dark world into the light." Spoke the great elder toad looking at Jiraiya.

Jiraiya, for his part did not know what to think. He always believed that Minato was the child of prophecy. So being told that he isn't, he felt disappointed. Thinking again, the only child Jiraiya knows that was born today was Naruto. Jiraiya now felt surprised finding out that Minato's kid is to be the one to become the light in the dark.

"Are you sure about this? Is it not a bit too soon to tell?." Said Jiraiya with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

"Yes. I am sure of it. I haven't felt such presence in thousand years. The child has the potential to become the second coming of Rikudou Sennin (Sage of Six Paths). Jiraiya you must make sure the child grows up peacefully and grows to love the world around him. The child seems to have one of the purest hearts I have sensed. I am sure even Fukasaku shares similar thoughts as me." Spoke the great elder toad.

Jiraiya looked at Fukasaku and saw him nod once. Jiraiya although was saddened that his first prediction hadn't come true about Minato but at the same time was filled with joy about Naruto, his godson. He vowed to himself to be there for Naruto, look after him like his own grandson and teach him the ways of the shinobi. He would instill every bit of knowledge in Naruto as he would grow up and make sure Naruto enjoys the world around him as much.

"You don't have to ask me to look after him Elder-sama. I shall look after my grandson (Jiraiya views Minato as his own son, hence he calls Naruto his grandson) to the best of my abilities and make sure he grows up to be a fine man." Said the toad sage hermit proudly and bowed to him once.

Jiraiya and Fukasaku soon left the chambers and went to the same place they appeared first when they left Konoha, with Fukasaku once again on Jiraiya's shoulder.

"Well Jiraiya-chan, you know what to do now. Naruto-chan will grow up to be an important boy in the future. If you want to finish your senjutsu training anytime soon, you can come to me and Ma anytime you want." Said Fukasaku.

"Yes Fukasaku-sensei. I will finish it soon. Now is not the time I suppose. It was a lot to take in initially. But now that I think about it, Naruto is the son of two legendary shinobis, Minato and Kushina; and Minato has already surpassed in almost everything. Naruto is bound to grow up to be powerful figure both in terms of being a shinobi and in getting the ladies." Jiraiya said with a lecherous grin at the end in the hopes of getting inspiration for his future Icha-Icha Paradise books. Fukasaku did not know what to do with him anymore and just ignored his last comment.

"Off you go now Jiraiya-chan. Enjoy the first moments of Naruto-chan." Said the small toad as he hopped off Jiraiya's shoulder and prepared to send Jiraiya back to Konoha.

* * *

Jiraya soon found himself standing in the same place, before he went to Mount Myoboku. He saw that Kushina was unconscious and Minato was standing beside Tsunade who seemed to be hurt and Minato had a worried look on his face. Jiraiya immediately ran towards them and looked around the room to see dead bodies of the caretakes and Biwako lying in the pool of their own blood.

Jiraiya turned around just in time to see a man wearing an orange mask with a swirling pattern holding a crying Naruto with a kunai held at his throat. Before he could ask Minato or Tsunade what's going on the masked man spoke.

"Yondaime Hokage! Step away from the….

* * *

 **Well, that's the end of this chapter. I do hope you all come to like the story, the way it is currently progressing. Most of my chapters from now on will be between 6k to 11k words.**

 **The next chapter will be mostly out on December 14, 2016. Next time, the story will entail the sealing of the bijuu or bijuus in Naruto.**

 **Please do Follow, Favorite and Review the story so I can understand how the readers are taking the progression of the story.**

 **Until next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author Notes- Hello fellow readers! This chapter talks about the sealing of the Three-Tails and the Nine-Tails and is a bit long I suppose. Most of my chapters will be from now on. Some people voiced their concerns that Naruto should be raised an orphan, so he could understand pain in life, which in turn will help him understand other people's. Do not worry about Naruto not knowing pain. He will understand pain. I don't want Naruto to be born a genius. I want him to be raised by someone so he can learn from them as he grows up and not grow up stupid. He will be facing many hardships in his life, but there will be people supporting him and he will consider them as his most precious people which will give him the courage, will and determination to grow strong and protect them.**

 **I am really glad for the reviews that I have got and some even took time to private message me to suggest me their ideas and I will certainly take it into consideration. I will be double checking each of the chapters now before posting them, so whatever grammatical errors that were there in the previous two chapters will be less now.**

 **[Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.]**

 _ **Anyway let the adventure continue**_

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Sealing of the Nine-Tails and Three-Tails**

* * *

 _Previously_

 _Jiraiya turned around just in time to see a man wearing an orange mask with a swirling pattern holding a crying Naruto with a kunai held at his throat. Before he could ask Minato or Tsunade what's going on the masked man spoke._

 _Present time_

"Yondaime Hokage, step away from the jinchuriki or your child dies." Spoke the masked man calmly.

"Minato!" Jiraiya and Tsunade shouted.

"Just calm down! We can work this out." Minato said.

"What do you want with Kushina you bastard?" asked an enraged Tsunade.

"Oh, you know. Just this and that. Take the Kyuubi out and destroy the village." The masked man said in a sarcastic voice.

"You are not getting your hands on her. You got to deal with the three of us first." said Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya-sensei, do not do anything too quickly. He still has Naruto with him. We must get him to safety. Tsunade-sama, can you look after Kushina first?" Minato asked without taking his eyes off the man who held his newborn. Tsunade nodded and was just about to move to Kushina when the mask man spoke again.

"Do you care about your child, Yondaime Hokage?" the masked man asked.

"I do!" Minato said.

"Choose now Yondaime!" the masked man shouted.

With that, he tossed Naruto up into the air and held his kunai underneath, ready to kill him. Minato dashed across the room in a yellow flash and caught him. The man disappeared with speed and went to grab Kushina.

Tsunade and Jiraiya, seeing the man move towards Kushina went to intercept him with speeds that could only be rivaled by a kage. Jiraiya had a **rasengan** formed in his right hand and Tsunade had amassed a great amount of chakra in her left hand to smash the masked bastard into the next life.

But what happened next caught all the people in the room off guard. The rasengan in Jiraiya's hand and Tsunade's punch phased right through the masked man and he just walked right through them as if they weren't even there.

"What?" both Jiraiya and Tsunade asked, bewildered, before plowing straight through the wall leading outside. The masked man grabbed Kushina and disappeared, but not before going through a half-tiger sign when a sizzling sound was heard straight from Naruto's towel.

"Shit!" Minato cursed before tearing off the towel and used **Hiraishin** to teleport them outside their house, when an explosion went off. Minato saw Tsunade and Jiraiya kneeling on the grass, silently cursing themselves for their lax of judgment.

"Jiraiya-sensei, Tsunade-sama!" Minato shouted and dashed over to them.

"I'm fine. We should have known better than to underestimate him. He got past the special ANBU outside and got through the barrier put up by you and Jiraiya." Tsunade said with a downcast look.

"We have to assume the worst. Get back to the village and inform Sandaime-sama of everything that has transpired here. Take Naruto to with you sensei and keep him safe. Tsunade-sama, could you go and check on Rin? He may also be after her considering he's after the Kyuubi." Minato said before turning away.

"Alright… but where are you going Minato?" Tsunade asked

"Hopefully to put a stop to this before it even starts." Minato said determined.

Tsunade nodded and immediately ran back to the village. Jiraiya stepped in front of Minato and took Naruto away from him, who had quieted down now. Jiraiya turned to leave but Minato put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him for a moment.

"Let me mark you with my Hiraishin seal just in case. Push some chakra into it if you do require it." There was a silence, then Minato said, "If all else fails… promise you won't stop me from what I must do as the Hokage."

Jiraiya froze on his spot when he heard those words from Minato and the look he had on his face. Jiraiya knew it all too well, that look on one's face. Jiraiya also knew that he was a tad bit afraid now. He was aware Minato was plenty strong, but you never know what may happen in the heat of the moment and what actions one may be forced to take depending on how dire the situation might become. Jiraiya had always looked at Minato like his own son and these past few months had only strengthened their bond, and he hoped everyone remained safe after tonight's ordeal was done with.

Jiraiya looked at Naruto, then at Minato and said, "I won't get in your way, and I will be the godfather that Naruto needs and make him into a fine man."

Minato nodded and disappeared once more in a yellow flash. Jiraiya sighed and put Naruto down next to him. He went and bit his thumb, putting blood on the palm of his hands and going through hand signs and slamming his hands on the ground while saying,

" **Kuchiyose No Jutsu** (summoning Jutsu)."

There was a large cloud of smoke and Jiraiya was now standing atop a giant toad with Naruto in his arms again. The toad had a tanto on his side and was smoking a pipe. He also had a jacket on him.

" **Jiraiya! Why did you summon me?** "

"No time Gamabunta. The Kyuubi is about to be released. We have to reach the village fast, inform Sarutobi-sensei and get Naruto to safety."

" **Let's go!** " Gamabunta said with a hop, taking off a long distance, trying to reach the Hokage office within Konoha as soon as possible.

* * *

Minato soon appeared in the safe house which he had informed Jiraiya about a long time back and grabbed his trademark Yondaime Hokage robes hanging off the wall. He then grabbed a full set of tri pronged kunai and geared up. He checked himself over to make sure he was ready for what he was about to do and what he might have to do if the situation got out of hand. 'This wasn't supposed to happen. I don't know how it turned out like this. Naruto should have had a normal birth and then Kushina, Naruto and I were supposed to live normally. Guess it wasn't written like that. No! I must not think like that. I can still save Kushina and my village. I just hope we don't have more trouble than we already have coming our way tonight… I'm coming Kushi-chan.' Minato disappeared in a yellow flash towards Kushina's current location thinking along those lines.

* * *

 _Meanwhile_

Tsunade was running as fast as she could towards the hospital to make sure Shizune and Rin were okay. She soon reached the hospital and ran towards their room. She saw the guards posted outside the room were dead on the ground and she instantly grew worried and rushed inside the room. The first thing she saw was the aqua blue colored chakra that was bubbling out of Rin's seal and next to her bed was a bloodied Shizune, who was breathing heavily.

Tsunade ran up to Shizune and started healing her immediately. Many of her worst memories were resurfacing now seeing Shizune in her current state. Shizune was one of the closest people she had, and seeing her like this reminded her a lot of the time when she was trying to save Dan. She quickly ignored those thoughts and focused on healing Shizune. She then saw that Shizune's breathing had stabilized somewhat and knew she was out of danger as of now.

She then looked at Rin and felt remorse of not being able to reach here quicker and growing anger towards the masked man, who most likely was the reason behind this scene, she mused. There was nothing she could do now. She couldn't go near her or touch her. The bijuu chakra that was bubbling out of her was poisonous to human skin and would only serve to weaken her. She only had one choice left. Grab Shizune, get out of here and try saving those who would be able to survive the coming attack on Konohagakure No Sato.

The combined attack of the nine tails and the three tails was not something any village could come out unscathed, but she had hope in her village. They had come out of worse situations and emerged victorious. But she wondered what the cost would be this time, that is, if they do somehow come out of this predicament.

Tsunade kept staring at Rin for a few while. Looking at her, she assumed it would still be a few minutes before the seal set by Minato and Jiraiya would break and release the Sanbi into the village.

She picked up Shizune and jumped through the open window and went to a slightly far away area, away from the center of the village, where she can treat the younger girl properly. Tsunade then made a seal less **Kage Bunshin** and ordered it to inform Sarutobi-sensei of Rin's situation.

* * *

 _A field outside of the forests of Konohagakure No Sato_

The masked man had taken the unconscious Kushina outside of Konoha, to rip the Kyuubi out of the Uzumaki woman. The masked man's three tomoe sharingan had now morphed into the legendary Mangekyou Sharingan.

It is true that the Mangekyou sharingan has the capability to put the nine tails under its genjutsu, but having the capability doesn't mean everyone can do it. One needs immense mental fortitude and strong yin chakra to able to pull of such feat.

Kushina was now suspended in midair because of the fuinjutsu seal that held the nine tails back was almost undone. Kushina, however was now near death, and if the seal released there was a good chance she would die. She was suspended above a lake, the fuinjutsu chained her to the surrounding rocks, and in front of her stood the masked man.

"How does it feel, Uzumaki Kushina?" he asked mockingly. All she could do was breathe to keep herself alive and to restrain the Kyuubi as much as her will could allow. But her hold was weakening.

"Now, it is time I suppose, for the nine-tailed demon fox to put Konoha down." The man said before making a hand sign. He channeled chakra through himself and formed a contract seal on Kushina's seal and said, " **Kai**! (release)."

The seal on Kushina that was holding the Kyuubi back completely shattered. The vile red chakra of the nine tails started coming of Kushina and started taking a shape behind her. Very soon, the tails started forming and in a mere seconds the great Kyuubi No Yoko was unleashed once again in the mortal realm.

The fox unleashed a great roar before looking down at the heavily breathing Kushina and the masked man that was staring at the Kyuubi with those accursed red eyes.

Kushina tilted her head slightly, looking at the Kyuubi. Unlike most people who assumed the great Kyuubi No Yoko to be mindless demon, the beast was aware that his host was a descendant of his father's son, Ashura Otsusuki. He was not close to Kushina, but he did not hate her as much, unlike the other humans.

The Kyuubi raised one of its paws to strike the masked man, but was stopped by a single glance from him. The masked man stood in front of Kyuubi and saw it began to calm down and was now under control.

"You'll never get away with this." Kushina said, breathing heavily.

"Amazing! To be able to survive the extraction of a tailed beast. Those Uzumaki genes are indeed astonishing. It will be befitting for a jinchuriki to die by its own bijuu." The masked man said, looking at her.

"Kill her, Kyuubi." He ordered.

Just as the nine tails was about to strike her down, Minato appeared beside her and vanished with Kushina in a yellow flash. "Not while I'm alive!" Minato shouted.

"Namikaze Minato, still living up to your name of Konoha No Kirroi Senko. I'm impressed that you managed to find me first." The masked man said calmly.

"As long as I'm here, Konoha will not fall." Minato said

"The Kyuubi is mine now, you cannot stop me." The man said before the Kyuubi roared at Minato. The Kyuubi's tails extended and whipped out to attack Minato, but the Hokage had already flashed a safe distance away, with Kushina in his arms.

"Impressive, Yondaime Hokage! Let's see how your precious village deals with two tailed beasts at the same time." Said the masked man before pulling the nine-tailed fox into some sort of space-time ninjutsu and disappearing along with it. Minato looked at this and frowned slightly, seeing how the spiral seemed to originate from his mask. He took a good look at Kushina and noticed how her breathing was very minimal at this point. He held her hand and transferred some of his chakra to her. His chakra was not as potent as Kushina's, but it would do the job for now.

"Mi-na-to…" She said between heavy breaths.

"Shhh now. Stay quiet… It's going to be okay." Minato said.

"No, it's not… I was dead as soon the nine-tails was taken out of me. Promise...p-promise me… you will take care of Naruto." Kushina pleaded.

"I… I promise." Minato said, not looking straight at Kushina's face.

She slightly nodded before closing her eyes and giving a slight smile. Her breathing was still heavy and he knew she might not make it. Minato now had tears sliding off his face onto her.

"Why…?" he asked himself.

He wiped away his tears, then he took his wife close into his arms and flashed to the Hokage's office to regroup with Jiraiya, Tsunade and Sarutobi as he thought of the most likely place where all might be present together.

* * *

 _Inside the village_

It was quiet in the industrial part of the village. It was a full moon tonight in Konohagakure No Sato and the village seemed almost peaceful. But those who were outside in other parts of the village at this time suddenly felt a sudden chill go down their spines, especially the shinobi.

The buildings were mostly closed since it was the night time. The masked man landed softly on the ground and kneeled. He looked around to take in the surroundings. He almost smirked, thinking about the state of the village after his two pets would be done with this village.

He then went through hand signs swiftly and shouted, " **Kuchiyose No Jutsu** ".

There was a huge cloud of smoke where suddenly the Kyuubi No Yoko was standing and all its nine tails were swishing wildly behind it. It gave a tremendous roar alerting the village of its presence. The masked man stood on top of a building far away and smirked. Now all he was waiting for was the appearance of the three tails, which would be any second now and then he would put the three tails under his genjutsu to do his bidding.

In another part of the village, specifically the hospital, in Rin's room. Her seal containing the Sanbi was almost undone. In another few seconds, there came a massive surge of chakra from her body and the three tails escaped its prison crushing the hospital where it was now standing.

The Sanbi at this point of time was not in its current state of mind. After being sealed away in humans for so long, it wanted nothing more than to destroy these ningens (humans) who dared to seal him. He looked straight ahead and saw a masked man with an orange mask. The man looked at the three tails straight in the eye and the last thing the Sanbi would remember for a while would be the masked bastard.

"GO Three Tails! Enjoy your time out for the while. Destroy everything around you." Shouted the masked man darkly.

* * *

 _An hour Earlier_

Hiruzen was now working at the Hokage's office with a small pile of paperwork in front of him. He did not know how Minato could go through his paperwork at such an immense speed. He cursed himself for not thinking like Minato and continued working. He stamped denial for a shinobi to take leave from his services to the village for a while to rest. He did not even know why his shinobi would want leave at such a crucial period. The war was over only recently and for the time being, the village needed to undertake more missions to maintain their military strength. He was thinking on these lines when suddenly the door to the Hokage's office was broken down with what he guessed was a punch. The Anbu hidden in the office immediately stepped in front of the Sandaime to protect him from any harm.

Tsunade stepped inside the office with a worried look on her face. Upon seeing who the intruder was, Sarutobi ordered the Anbu to step away.

"Tsunade, what is the meaning of this?" asked the third sternly.

"Sensei! It's Rin. Her seal is about to be undone. The Sanbi is going to be released." Spoke Tsunade in a rapid voice.

Hiruzen immediately turned his rapt attention to her upon hearing that. "What do you mean!? Where was Shizune!? I thought she would be looking after her while you were with Kushina. Speaking of Kushina, where is she now? Seeing as you are not with her." Inquired Sarutobi.

"I am just a **Kage Bunshin**. The real one is with Shizune, healing her. When I entered the hospital room, she was knocked out and lying on the ground, bloodied. It was most likely the masked…" before Tsunade could finish what she was saying, both her and Sarutobi felt a large shockwave.

"Anbu! What was that?"

"A large toad has appeared outside the Hokage tower Sandaime-sama!" spoke one of the Anbu.

Tsunade and Sarutobi both knew who it was when they heard the shockwave was caused by a large toad.

"I will explain everything sensei." Jiraiya said jumping in through the window.

He turned and looked at the Anbu and said, "Place the village on emergency orders. Inform the clan heads immediately to keep their clan members hidden in a safe place and evacuate the civilians as soon as possible. Tell the clan heads they will informed of the situation after and if the situation has been dealt with."

"Hai!" the Anbu shouted before disappearing from their spots.

Hiruzen stood and looked at Tsunade first and then at Jiraiya who was holding Naruto in his arms.

"Prepare yourself Sarutobi-sensei… the Kyuubi is about to be unsealed and released inside Konohagakure if Minato fails."

"What are you talking about Jiraiya? How could this happen? First Tsunade tells me the three tails is about to be released any moment now and now the nine tails too!?" shouted the aged man in a panicked voice.

Jiraiya immediately turned to Tsunade and gave her a knowing look. "So, the masked man got to her too? This is terrible. If we are not careful, there will not be a village standing here tomorrow. Facing the nine tails itself is no joke, on top of that the three tails?! God dammit!" shouted an agitated Jiraiya.

"Explain, briefly" spoke the third Hokage turning to Tsunade.

"When Naruto was born, I was about to take him to the maternity ward when suddenly a masked man appeared and snatched Naruto from me and held a kunai at his throat saying if we didn't move away from Kushina he would kill him." Tsunade said.

"Did either you, Minato or Jiraiya try to apprehend him?"

"We did. But all our attacks phased right through him. It was like he wasn't even there to begin with." Jiraiya spoke now.

"We are sorry Sarutobi-sensei. Your wife, Biwako-sama, was killed by the masked assailant." Spoke Tsunade sadly. Jiraiya too looked sadly at his sensei, knowing how close he was to his wife.

Sarutobi upon hearing this, looked down at his feet and did not say anything. Many images and memories Biwako and him flashed through his mind. But he could not let himself break down at this point. His village needed him now. This was the life of a shinobi he mused. Marching forward no matter what.

"Where is Minato now?" asked Sarutobi after some silence.

Suddenly there was a yellow flash in the room and Minato was standing there with Kushina in his arms.

"Tsunade-sama, could you heal Kushina as much as possible, please" Asked Minato quickly. Minato then put Kushina on a nearby sofa and Tsunade knelt in front of her and started to heal her.

"Minato, what happened to Kushina? Was the Kyuubi extracted out of her?" asked the aged Hokage worriedly.

"Yes. It was. I was late in getting to Kushina. That masked man had already put the Kyuubi under his genjutsu. I believe him to be an Uchiha. But the only Uchiha who was remotely able to control the nine tails was Madara. I don't know for sure if it is him or not." Said Minato.

Jiraiya then stepped in front of Minato and looked him in the eyes. "Minato, you know there's no choice other than sealing the Kyuubi into him as well." It was not an easy job for Jiraiya to admit that to Minato, but it was the truth.

Sarutobi and Tsunade got astonished looks on their faces upon hearing that statement.

Jiraiya continued speaking, now with a serious look on his face, "The **Hakke Fuin** is capable of holding up to at least four tailed beasts. I could use the **Shikki Fuin** to seal both the nine tails and three tails inside of Naruto. With the seal being powered by the Shinigami, it will be powerful enough to seal those two for a lifetime."

"No Jiraiya-sensei. It shall not be required of you. I had thought of the possibilities already as soon as the masked man told me about two tailed beasts attacking Konoha. I am going to do the sealing." Minato said softly looking at Kushina.

Kushina who was awake, had heard the conversation. She wanted to protest and say it would not be good for her Naruto to lead such a life without his parents around but her logical part was saying to go with what Minato was saying. Because if not, her baby and her village may not be alive in a few hours.

"What? Are you even thinking straight you two!?" shouted Tsunade.

"Sealing two bijuus inside of him? Will Naruto be even able to handle such stress on his chakra coils? The potency of nine tails and the three tails chakra combined would be enormous. You can't do that to Naruto. He would not survive the sealing, even if the **Hakke Fuin** is capable of imprisoning both the bijuus. What about you Minato? You are the Hokage. The village will need you." Tsunade said, trying to put down this messed up idea.

Jiraiya went to retort and say something but quieted down upon seeing Minato raise his hand.

"I understand your concern, Tsunade-sama. But, Naruto, he's mine and Kushina's son. I believe in him. He will be able to handle the pressure. I want him to grow up in this village, to understand what a shinobi is, to understand what a village is. To form a bond with this village. I know he will grow up to be an important figure." Minato said with a small smile on his face.

He continued, "I am the Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure No Sato. I am supposed to lead from the front so none of my comrades would suffer. They all depend on me. It is my duty as this village's leader to save her from perishing, no matter the cost. Jiraiya-sensei once told me, a shinobi's life is not judged by how he lives his life, but by how he dies. If I die protecting and saving my village today, I will know that, for the future, she will be in capable hands." He said looking down at Naruto's sleeping form. The participants of the room upon hearing it couldn't help but shed a few tears. The Sandaime was glad he had picked Minato as his successor. The will of fire he exuded was one Hashirama-sensei and Tobirama-sensei talked about.

Jiraiya felt extremely proud of his student at this point. Although he was bitter that he wouldn't see his student alive much longer, he couldn't help but feel proud of the decisions Minato has made up to this point. Tsunade wanted to yell at him, but stopped when Kushina pressed her hand with her own and gave her a look saying not to say anything.

Kushina herself had tears flowing out her eyes.

"Minato-kun, give me Naruto. I want to… hold him close to me for some time." Kushina said in a soft voice. Tsunade had healed her internal injuries as much as she could, including her chakra network. Although, Tsunade knew, if she were to use her chakra for prolonged time, she would not live to see another day.

Minato slowly took Naruto from his sensei and for a while just looked at him. Naruto soon opened his eyes and looked at him with those curious innocent violet eyes and yawned in his arms, making him look even more adorable. He felt his resolve weaken to sacrifice himself for the village and his son but he knew he had to do it, if he wanted his son and the village to have a future. He then placed Naruto in his wife's hands.

Naruto seemed to recognize Kushina and Tsunade who were looking at him with somber looks. He put out his tiny hands forward and held a few red locks of Kushina's hair, which made the Uzumaki woman smile a bit.

Tsunade then went closer to Naruto and kissed him on the forehead and whispered, "Don't worry Naru-chan. You will have a wonderful life ahead. I will make sure of it." Naruto seemed to gurgle a bit upon hearing that. He yawned again and closed his eyes slowly.

Jiraiya, Hiruzen and Minato smiled upon seeing the interaction between the three.

After a short silence, Hiruzen cleared his throat to speak.

"If that is what you wish Minato. We need to form an immediate plan of action to deal with the two bijuus. I don't think we have much time." Said Sarutobi.

"I will go deal with the masked man to free the Kyuubi from under his control. Sarutobi-sama, would you and the other shinobi be able to push the Kyuubi out of the village and hold him down for a while?"

Hiruzen nodded, listening to Minato.

"Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sensei can handle the Sanbi in that time. After the masked man has been dealt with and I appear before the Kyuubi. Hiruzen-sama will go join up with Jiraiya-sensei and Tsunade-sama. I shall mark all of you with my Hiraishin marker. I will teleport with the Kyuubi once it's freed from the genjutsu to the outside forests of Konoha and I shall then summon you three while you are holding down the Sanbi to the Kyuubi's location. My **Kage Bunshins** will take Kushina and Naruto there in advance. Kushina will be able to hold down the Kyuubi and the Sanbi with her Kongo Fuso chains, once she has recovered enough for that. I shall then use the **Shikki Fuin** to summon the Shinigami and seal both the Nine tails and the Three tails using the Hakke Fuin seal on Naruto." Minato said, forming the plan in his head as quickly as possible.

Everyone seemed to agree with the course of action. They knew Minato was stronger than them and he would be fine on his own against the nine tails.

Minato then looked at Jiraiya and said, "Sensei, when the time comes, I want you to help him master the Nine tails and Three tails chakra. The Kyuubi is said to be the strongest of all bijuus and is said to have near unlimited chakra. I believe there will come a time, when Naruto will require their assistance. Seeing how the masked man knew about both the Kyuubi and the Sanbi, it is possible to think that he also knows the jinchuriki of other bijuus. Please do look after him." Minato said the last part in a downcast voice.

Sarutobi could not help but feel sad seeing the current situation. Naruto, not even a day since he came to this world and he was already losing both his parents.

"Tsunade-sama, I would like to request something of you?" Minato said in a small voice. Tsunade looked at him and urged him to continue.

"Would you look after Naruto as your own son, after tonight? I know it's asking a lot of you. But he will need a mother figure in his life. Kushina will not survive the night. Even with her Uzumaki genes, the way the Kyuubi was extracted from her, I'm sure it has left her chakra network haywire. He will need balance in his life. Would you do it Tsunade-sama?"

For a moment, she did not say anything. She looked at Naruto again and saw his sleeping form. She was startled that Minato would ask her to look after Naruto as her own son. She knew growing up without parents would be hard for Naruto and if by any chance the village comes to know of his jinchuriki status, his life would become a living hell. She then thought about how her life would change if she does adopt Naruto. She couldn't help but feel happy upon thinking of raising Naruto as her own son. She never had a child of her own and raising Naruto as a Senju will keep her legacy alive, even after her time comes.

Tsunade looked at Minato with a determined face and said, "Yes, don't worry. I shall be the mother he needs. I will look after him like my own flesh and blood."

Minato felt a little weight taken off his shoulders upon hearing that. He at least knew his son would grow up being loved by a mother figure. Kushina, too, felt happy and squeezed Tsunade's hand as a thank you gesture with her free hand.

Suddenly they all felt a tremendous shockwave and they saw the imposing figure of the Kyuubi standing within the village. Not even a minute later, there was another large burst of chakra and the three tails was standing in another part of the village, particularly the crushed hospital.

They all shared a knowing look and knew what was to come. They could see the Anbu running around the village, trying to evacuate as many civilians they could.

Jiraiya immediately left towards the Three tails and Tsunade's Kage Bunshin dispelled herself to let the real one know of all the things discussed inside the office. The Sandaime summoned Monkey King Enma. He too left in the direction of the Nine Tails.

Minato sat down in a lotus position and quickly started amassing senjutsu chakra. His eyes changed to become bar like and the outside of his eyes gained orange pigmentation. He got up from his position and took two sheets of paper from his drawer.

He handed one to Kushina, who looked slightly better from the time he rescued her. Her healing abilities astonished him, even to this day.

"Kushina, we should probably write a few words for Naruto for when he grows up. I will write instructions for Tsunade-sama to give this letter to Naruto once he's of age, to learn his true heritage." Minato said in a sad voice.

Both the kage level shinobi wrote few words as quickly as possible for their son (a few lines in Kushina's case, since she still felt very weak. Whatever she was doing right now was solely due to her willpower.) and then Minato put it on top of the Hokage's table.

Minato quickly made two Kage Bunshins and gave them orders to take Kushina and Naruto to the place he intended to do the sealing ritual.

Once Kushina and Naruto were out of sight, Minato steeled his resolve. He sensed out the masked man's chakra and disappeared to his location in a yellow flash.

* * *

Meanwhile, all the clan heads had been informed about the imminent threat of the Kyuubi and the Sanbi in Konoha. Panic, fear and worry were the obvious reactions from everyone. As soon as they received word of the information, they started gathering their respective civilians from the clansmen and began to get to safety. Those who were capable shinobi were preparing to go on the frontline to get as many villagers to safety and contribute in staling in Kyuubi until their Hokage would arrive.

Hiruzen, Jiraiya and Tsunade had regrouped for a couple of seconds on top of a building which gave them a wide view of the entire village. There were dozens of Anbu along with them on top of the building. Looking around the village, the three kage level shinobi witnessed as the two bijuus thrashed their tails and destroyed several buildings. Many villagers were caught off guard due to the sudden attack but they could also see several shinobi getting the civilians to safety.

"Anbu, we move out and defend Konoha!"

"HAI!" shouted the dozens of Anbu behind Hiruzen before dashing off into the distance to hold off the Kyuubi and the Sanbi until their Hokage could deal with the tailed beasts.

"Jiraiya, Tsunade." Hiruzen said gaining their attention, "Make sure everything goes as to the plan. Times ahead of us will not be easy. But, we must do what we must, for our village to exist in a few hours. This is our duty as ninja of Konohagakure No Sato. Scatter!"

Jiraiya and Tsunade listened intently to each word spoken by their sensei. They knew how serious the situation in front of them was and they had to give it their all to come out of this alive. Both the Sannins immediately dashed towards the Three Tails.

* * *

The Kyuubi and the Sanbi were engaged by many ninja from Konoha, moving to distract the beast, preventing damage that would be done. Many shouts could be heard from the different parts of the village where the two beasts were rampaging around.

"Yo! Kyuubi! Over here!" shouted one, throwing a bunch of shuriken at the beast.

"No! Kyuubi over here!" shouted another throwing kunai with explosive tags.

Of course, none of this did anything except pester the beast, making it more enraged. The Kyuubi roared and flicked its tails to get rid of the annoying flies.

In another part of the village near the hospital, the Sanbi was staying put in his place and splashing water from its mouth all around himself to wash away the annoying humans who were throwing different weapons at him.

"Sanbi! You blind? I'm over here! Where do you think, you're aiming, you beast!" shouted an Anbu who succeeded in gaining the bijuu's attention.

The Sanbi was about to squash the ningens with his paw when suddenly a kunai with an explosive tag exploded near his right eye which he kept close all the time. Irritated by this action, the Sanbi went to open its mouth and started gathering blue and black chakra near its mouth.

The shinobi battling the Three tails knew, whatever the beast was doing was nothing good.

Just as the Sanbi was going to launch the **Bijuudama** on the shinobi in front of it, a chakra enhanced punch by Tsunade sent it flying up, which in effect sent the **Bijuudama** flying up and exploded away from the village.

"Everyone stay back, Jiraiya and I will deal with the Three tails. Some of you go to Sarutobi-sensei and help him deal with the Kyuubi. The rest stay behind and come forward when we ask you to." Tsunade said, still looking up towards the Sanbi who was now descending.

"Jiraiya you are up now. Summon your battle toads fast." Shouted Tsunade who looked at Jiraiya standing atop a nearby building.

The toad sage jumped high up in the air sending a minuscule burst of chakra to his soles and swiftly went through a similar set of hand seals and put an immense amount of chakra this time.

" **Kuchiyose: Yatai Kuzushi no Jutsu**!" (summoning jutsu: Food cart destroyer technique)

Out of nowhere a giant toad appeared above the Three Tails and landed on top of him, causing a shockwave to spread through the village. The toad took out its tanto and stabbed into one of the tails. The beast screamed and tried to parry off the toad, but to no avail.

"Stay down you damn turtle!" the toad shouted.

"Nice job Bunta. Tsunade quick! Try knocking the Sanbi out by punching its shell." Jiraiya shouted, standing on top of the Toad Boss.

Tsunade, seeing the beast struggling, jumped up gave another chakra enhanced punch to the Sanbi's hard shell at maximum strength. Upon contact of Tsunade's fists with Sanbi's shell, there was another shockwave and the large turtle felt weak on its legs and just fell momentarily knocked out. And with Gamabunta on top of him applying more pressure, the tailed beast wasn't getting up anytime soon.

Now, it is believed that the Three Tails shell is among the hardest thing on this planet. So, to be able to crack that hard shell with a single punch was saying something.

Jiraiya shivered upon seeing Tsunade's monstrous strength. 'Good lord! I didn't think she would crack the three-tail's shell. Man, the beating she gave me a few years back when I got caught peeking on her seems like a blessing.'

"That's how you beat a damn overgrown turtle." Said Tsunade, proud of her handy work. Jiraiya just sweat dropped on hearing that.

The shinobi who were standing behind and watching the entire scene were shell shocked on seeing the beast down for a while. They all had heard of Tsunade's monstrous strength but never knew the extent of it.

"Amazing! Such great strength. So, this is the power possessed by one of the Sannins." Said one of the awestruck Anbu.

"Alright, four Anbu come here and form a Shishienjin barrier across us. That would immobilize the Three Tails from going elsewhere." Formulated Jiraiya. The Anbu did as they were told and formed a purplish barrier trapping the Three tails, Jiraiya, Gamabunta and Tsunade.

 _Inside the barrier_

"Phew It's a relief, this turtle got put down for a while." Said Tsunade.

"Yes. That is. Now, all we have to do is wait for Minato to summon us to the location of the sealing ritual." Said Jiraiya tiredly.

* * *

 _Few minutes earlier in a forested area outside Konoha_

Minato had soon appeared in a forested area outside of Konoha and came face to face with the masked man.

Both the men were eyeing each other but the Yondaime could swear the masked man was smirking upon seeing the fate of the village.

"This time Yondaime, we fight on even grounds." Said the masked man.

"I wouldn't call having the sharingan fighting even, now would I? Are you… Uchiha Madara?" Minato said.

"Maybe. Maybe not. Who I am, is not important or relevant to this world anymore."

"Yes. It doesn't matter who you are. Madara Uchiha or not, I shall put you down. Why are you targeting the leaf village?" Minato asked.

"Who knows?" said the man as he brought a long chain some of it wrapped around his hand from his black cloak. "Maybe it's for war, maybe it's for the peace that I want to bring to this accursed world."

Minato did not say anything to that. This man had dangerous ideals. He looked at the man before him who was shrugging as if warming up, then saw the chains drop down from his cloak. He looked ready to fight. Minato took out his tri pronged kunai from his pocket and prepared to engage him, when suddenly the man laughed.

"What is so funny?" asked a confused Minato.

"You are clueless Yondaime. The Kyuubi cannot be stopped, unless sealed once more."

"You do not have to worry about the Kyuubi. His fate has already been sealed by me. I intend to stop to you first and then the nine tails. Konoha shall not fall while I'm here."

"So, you plan to make your son the jinchuriki huh? You sure that will turn out for the best, Yondaime? The masked man taunted.

Minato observed the man carefully, looking for any sign of body language before asking, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about your son Yondaime. I know about him. To be raised by the Slug Sannin and that idiot of a Toad sage. I even know about sealing the Sanbi into him as well."

"How do you know such information?" asked an enraged Minato. 'He shouldn't be knowing all that. No one should be.' He thought.

"Ah, don't fret over such pointless information Yondaime. I have my sources to gather such things." Said the masked man casually. "I look forward to fighting him in the future.

"This ends now. I won't let you get the chance." Minato said before throwing his kunai at the masked man. The man simply gave a huff of air and let the kunai phase through him, but not before seeing the Yondaime charge towards him, a blue spiraling ball in his right hand.

" **Rasengan**!"

Of course, this attack too simply passed through him.

"Too slow Yondaime!" the man said before he pulled on his chains and whirling around to face him, only to find he had disappeared again. He sighed and turned to face the Hokage still waiting in the clearing.

Minato still had the rasengan in his right hand and had two tri pronged kunai in his left hand.

"You cannot hope to defeat an Uchiha!" said the masked man.

"We'll see about that." Minato muttered to himself, before throwing the first kunai, and charging at the man. The sage mode helped Minato go at much faster pace than before. Minato moved as fast as the kunai behind it and planning his attack carefully. The man ran to meet him, and let the kunai phase through him. The masked man then stretched his hand and said, "I win."

" **Hiraishin Reberu Ni** (Hiraishin level 2)!" Minato shouted and disappeared, appearing behind the man and snatching his kunai between his fingers and slamming the rasengan in his hand into the man.

'Damn it! He flew to the kunai from earlier. I underestimated him.' The masked man thought.

"How about that?" Minato asked. "Impressed much? Now, you will definitely will be."

Minato deposited his kunai in his kunai pouch and went through hand signs quickly before the man could recover and slammed his hand onto the man's chest and shouted, " **Keyaki Fuin** (contract seal)".

The man cursed himself and felt his control on the Kyuubi and the Sanbi released all at once. He no longer had hold over the two beasts. Then he looked up at the man who ruined all his plans with a fire burning in his eyes.

Then he said, "I must hand it to you Yondaime Hokage, being able to wound me and sever my ties with the Kyuubi and the Sanbi is not something to laugh at, but no matter. The Kyuubi and the Sanbi will be my playthings again. I will take over the world and there are so many ways to go around it." Then the masked man used his teleportation jutsu and disappeared before Minato's eyes.

"So, I was right. He is after the jinchuriki. If Naruto is to face him sometime in the future, he is going to need something extremely powerful by his side." Minato thought. He had many thoughts going through his head at a rapid pace. He knew the Kyuubi and the Sanbi were still attacking the village and he had to seal them into his newborn soon. He did not like that one bit, but he had no choice in the matter.

Naruto was the only one he could entrust this burden to.

* * *

 _Back in Konohagakure_

Hiruzen appeared standing atop a nearby building where the Kyuubi was causing havoc.

The shinobi battling the Kyuubi sighed in relief upon seeing the Sandaime joining the battle.

" **Kuchiyose: Monkey King Enma** " (summoning: monkey king enma) shouted Sarutobi after going through the hand signs for the summoning jutsu.

There was a puff of smoke that appeared beside Hiruzen, who stood in full battle armor. It was a monkey that stood slightly taller than the aged Hokage.

The monkey looked around before noticing the fox, and said, "So, the Kyuubi has been unleashed now Hiruzen? Minato didn't do a very good job." He said.

"There were circumstances that were unpreventable." Hiruzen said.

"I can see that. **Henge: Kongonyoi**!" (transformation: adamantine staff)

Enma then turned from his monkey form into a large adamantine staff that Hiruzen then gripped and allowed to extend into the Kyuubi, smacking him in his head. The Kyuubi became enraged and flicked its tail, smacking several shinobi away from him. Hiruzen saw his chance and extended his staff again, pushing Kyuubi through the wall and outside the village.

The Kyuubi, enraged by this, started charging up a Bijuudama.

Minato appeared at the battle sight soon after dealing with the masked man, standing on top of his head at the Hokage monument. He looked at the fierce battle going on in the distance and noticed the Kyuubi getting more agitated and began charging up a Bijuudama. Minato cursed himself silently and started to go through hand signs. Then the Kyuubi turned straight towards Minato and launched in straight at him. Minato finished the hand signs and brought out his signature tri pronged kunai and held it out in front of him and began the space time ninjutsu. Out came what looked like a fuinjutsu seal but had a gaping hole in the middle of it and the Bijuudama went straight inside of it. The giant purple chakra ball disappeared inside and seconds later, a huge explosion could be heard a long distance away from the village.

He smirked to himself at his quick thinking.

Sarutobi looked at the Bijuudama, as it was launched towards the Hokage Monument and panicked slightly, when he saw Minato on top of it. He smiled and saw him use a space-time ninjutsu to make the Bijuudama disappear. He then turned serious again at the looming threat of the Kyuubi. He gripped Enma who was still in his hands and charged at the nine-tailed fox.

Minato then ran as quick as possible over the rooftops and jumped high above the Kyuubi and went through hand signs again. He was still in his sage mode, hence his chakra reserves were getting replenished quickly and so were his earlier injuries. Minato then shouted. " **Kuchiyose: Yatai Kuzushi No Jutsu** " and a giant green toad with two tanto strapped to his back and dressed in a battle toad attire came out of nowhere and dropped on the giant fox. On top of the toad, stood Minato, looking down at the Kyuubi who was charging yet another **Bijuudama**. He cursed again and started gathering chakra, preparing to Hiraishin himself and the fox away.

Hiruzen and the shinobi who were battling the Kyuubi were getting exhausted. They were firing jutsu after jutsu and yet there was not even a single scratch on the giant beast.

So, upon seeing their Yondaime Hokage and the fox being put down by the giant toad, they cheered.

"It's the Yondaime!" a ninja cheered around him. Hiruzen smiled upon seeing him, wondering what he would do now. So, when he saw both the fox and his successor disappear he was astonished.

Suddenly Hiruzen felt a tap from behind his shoulders and turned to look around. "Sandaime-sama, I'm just a **Kage Bunshin** , you should go to Jiraiya-sensei and Tsunade-sama now. I shall summon you to the sealing ritual place in a few minutes. All three of you, hold on to one tail of the Sanbi each." Said Minato's Kage Bunshin.

Sandaime sighed upon realizing that everything was going to plan up till now and then nodded to the Kage Bunshin and asked it to dispel himself.

"All of the Shinobi present here, get as many injured you can out of here and set up medical camps so we can get them treated after everything has been dealt with." Hiruzen said in a loud authoritative voice.

"HAI Sandaime-sama!" voiced the shinobi and got to doing their work.

Sarutobi immediately left towards Jiraiya and Tsunade's location hoping to get there as soon as possible.

* * *

Jiraiya was not having a fun time. Sitting on top of Gamabunta and constantly channeling chakra through himself and the boss toad to be ready at any given moment for the Sanbi to make a move. Tsunade too was slightly exhausted. The amount of chakra she had put while punching the Sanbi on its shell was enormous.

The Anbu who were sustaining the barrier around the Sannins and the tailed beast were feeling the strain too and were worried about the situation with the Nine-Tails.

Hiruzen suddenly landed in front of them.

"Anbu drop the barrier immediately!" said the Sarutobi.

"Sensei? What's going on? Who's dealing with the Kyuubi now? Is Minato done with the masked man?" asked Jiraiya rapidly.

"The Kyuubi has been teleported by Minato to the sealing ritual place. He asked me to come here and join you. Get down here fast. We must each hold onto a tail of the Sanbi and channel chakra through the Hiraishin seal placed on us." Sarutobi said quickly.

"So, then he freed the two bijuus from the masked man's control? That Minato is too good for his age." Said Tsunade, smirking, while going towards one of the tails.

Jiraiya too smiled upon hearing it. His apprentice wasn't a SS class shinobi for nothing he mused.

Soon, the three kage level shinobi caught one of tails of the beast and channeled chakra through the Hiraishin seal placed on them.

The Anbu standing around them were wondering what each of them was doing when suddenly they saw Hiruzen, Jiraiya, Tsunade and the Three-Tails disappearing out of their sights.

* * *

Minato teleported the Kyuubi to the sealing ritual place and immediately fell on his knees panting. He was running dangerously low on chakra now and his sage mode had long since faded.

He saw Kushina to the side along with Naruto who was resting on her lap sleeping peacefully. He had a few tears coming from his eyes upon seeing his child. He never wanted all of this to happen to his child. He steeled his resolve then and approached them.

"Kushi-chan. It's time. Hold down the Kyuubi with your chakra chains. Then I will summon Jiraiya-sensei, Tsunade-sama and Hiruzen-sama along with the Sanbi here, and we can proceed with the sealing." Minato said somberly.

"NO! I change my mind. We can't do this to our baby child. Please understand Minato! He's my son… How can we do this?.." Kushina shouted as her motherly instincts kicked in.

"It's not any easier for me to do this, Kushina. Try looking at it from my point of view. I cannot do it to another child and ask another parent to make this sacrifice. I am the Hokage of this village and I must do what is necessary to look after it. Plus, Naruto.. I… I trust in him. He will grow up to be a fine and powerful shinobi one day. I can feel it. And to fight the masked man, he will need the bijuu's help. The masked man was no joke. He was a powerful opponent. I couldn't kill him. He escaped in time." Minato said, looking down.

Minato then took Naruto from her arms and Kushina who was on her knees still feeling extremely weak. She summoned her will to subdue the Nine-Tails through her chakra chains.

Minato was panting hard with Naruto in his arms. The Kyuubi was trying all it could to break free of the restraints. Suddenly he felt a pull on the Hiraishin marker he placed on his sensei, Tsunade-sama and Hiruzen.

Minato then quickly amassed large amount of chakra and summoned those three along with the Three Tails, who seemed to be knocked out for the moment.

'Good. Sanbi won't try to lash out and increase Kushina's problem of holding down two bijuus. She is already struggling with the Kyuubi.' Thought Minato.

Hiruzen, Jiraiya ran to Minato's side and Tsunade immediately ran to Kushina's.

Tsunade put both her hands on Kushina's shoulder and started transferring some of her chakra to her. Kushina felt slightly rejuvenated upon receiving chakra and her hold on the Nine-Tails increased, which infuriated the giant fox to no end.

'So… Isobu is also here. What is the Yondaime planning to do with us now?' thought the enraged Kyuubi.

"Minato? Are you sure you're up for this? I can still do it in your place, if you want." Jiraiya said sadly, looking at his protégé.

"Yes sensei. I'm alright. I must do it. It's my job as the Hokage and it is a father's duty to ensure their child's future." Minato said breathing a bit heavily now.

"Sarutobi-sama. You must take the mantle of the Hokage back I suppose for the time being. There's no one else better for the job now. I doubt Jiraiya-sensei or Tsunade-sama would want it right now." Minato said, chuckling at bit at the end.

Jiraiya just scoffed at looked away, not being able to look at Minato now. Hiruzen, although reluctantly and sadly nodded his head.

"Stay back now. Jiraiya-sensei, Tsunade-sama, Sarutobi-sama, I suppose it's time for the sealing now."

"I am so sorry kid." Whispered Jiraiya more to himself than Minato. Hiruzen along with Jiraiya and Tsunade walked a distance back from where Minato, Kushina and Naruto were, along with the two bijuus.

Minato went through few hand seals and said, " **Kuchiyose No Jutsu** " and a small tall toad appeared beside Minato. This toad was Gerotora, whose job was to store scrolls inside himself. Minato asked the toad to stand a bit to the side and explained him what he was going to do and his part in it.

Although the toad was surprised upon hearing this predicament, he nodded his head and stepped aside.

Minato then took out three scrolls and laid one of them on the ground and formed the tiger seal.

" **Fuin Kai**! (seal release)" Minato shouted.

The scroll glowed then suddenly an altar appeared and fuinjutsu marks ran across the ground until they reached the Kyuubi and the Sanbi who were entangled in them shortly. The Sanbi by this time had woken up but could not do anything. The Kyuubi roared at him and Minato just smirked and began to do what he set out to. He took the second scroll and scribbled within it quickly, then rolled it up and set it to the side. He then flew through several hand signs and shouted, " **Shiki Fuin** (dead demon consuming seal)".

There was an ominous chakra that surrounded Minato and behind him appeared the Shinigami. Minato looked at his son and placed him on the altar and shed some more tears. Kushina too looked at her son and was openly crying by now. She felt horrible to be doing this to her own son.

In the beginning, Minato had thought about taking the Kyuubi with him and only sealing the Three-Tails in Naruto, but then crossed that out of his mind, thinking that his son was the perfect vessel. With the genes of the Uzumaki and Namikaze family, his son is bound to have incredible chakra reserves and potency, and will be able to control the Kyuubi and the Sanbi in time. The question was could he could he draw on the Shinigami enough to be able to seal both the bijuus in his son safely and completely. He mulled over it for a while and decided with a yes.

Minato then looked at both the Kyuubi and the Sanbi and saw both them glaring at him.

Minato saw that Kushina's hold on the Kyuubi was weakening slightly as it was beginning to get free.

'That Yondaime is planning to seal Isobu and me into that gaki? No. This can't be happening.' Kyuubi thought with anger boiling inside of him.

'Ah man. Not again. Half of my strength was gone breaking free of that seal and now I'm going to be sealed again along with Kurama.' Isobu thought, cursing his bad luck.

The Kyuubi suddenly raised one of its claws intending to kill Naruto, but just as it was about reach him, Minato and Kushina jumped in front him, saving Naruto from the danger.

One of Kyuubi's claw was now sticking out Kushina and Minato who was standing behind her. There was blood dripping from the claw and some of it fell on Naruto's stomach who was now awake as if sensing his parent's pain, he started crying.

Minato looked at Kushina who was staring at Naruto sadly. He was glad that he still had some strength left to complete the ritual and especially that Naruto was safe from harm.

Jiraiya, Tsunade and Hiruzen were now standing on top on Gamabunta who Jiraiya had summoned again a short while ago. All of them were about to run in seeing the Kyuubi trying to finish off Naruto before he could be sealed again. They did not know whether to be glad that Naruto was safe or cry about the fact that both Minato and Kushina were just impaled by one of Kyuubi's claw. Tsunade was openly weeping now, looking at the scene in front of her.

"Kushi-chan, I don't have much time left. We should probably say our last words to our Naruto before that. I want to seal some of our chakra into Naruto before we die... It will a while before we see him again." Minato said, breathing heavily with blood coming out of his mouth.

Kushina just kept staring at Naruto lovingly and said, "Thank you Minato-kun… Thank you for everything you have done for me."

"Oh, did I wake you up little Naru-chan?" Kushina said in a weak motherly tone.

Naruto soon yawned again and slowly closed his eyes hearing his mother's voice.

"Kushina…" Minato said.

"Don't say such things Kushi-chan. You made me Yondaime Hokage. Made me your husband… and now… gave birth to our beautiful child… Naruto."

"I'm happy Minato-kun. Don't look sad. I'm happy you loved me... Besides, today is our child's birthday. Above all… when I think about our future together as a family if I lived, I can only see… a life… full of happiness." Kushina started saying slowly.

Minato started shedding more tears upon hearing his wife speak.

"If there is only one thing that I regret… it's that I won't be able to see Naruto grow up…" Kushina finished sadly looking at her son's sleeping form on the altar.

"Thank you Kushina…" Minato said.

Minato gave the command to the Shinigami to take out the chakra and the soul of the nine tails and the three tails and to seal it inside Naruto. The ominous being put his hand through Minato's soul and stretched his hand towards the Kyuubi and the Sanbi and grabbed their soul and chakra dragged it inside the newborn baby and instantly a spiral looking seal appeared on Naruto's stomach.

"It's time… to finish the **Hakke Fuin** seal, Kushi-chan." Minato said slowly.

"Naruto... Don't be picky with your food. Eat lots so you can grow big and strong. Take baths every day and stay warm. And don't stay up late at night, you'll need your sleep. Make friends… You don't need a lot of them… Just a few are okay, whom you can trust... I'm not one to talk, but do your best in school and ninjutsu. Everyone has their own strength and weakness… So, don't feel down, if you are not good at something. Respect your teachers and seniors at the academy… Oh, and don't forget the three shinobi vices, be especially careful when lending and borrowing money... Make sure to save money you're earning from every mission. Don't drink any alcohol until you are of age… Drinking too much is bad for your health, so drink moderately okay? It's okay to be interested in women... But don't get hooked on bad women. Find someone just like kaa-san okay? Speaking of vices, be wary of Jiraiya-sensei..." Kushina said, breathing heavily.

Minato just eye smiled upon hearing the last part and Jiraiya although feeling down upon seeing the scene in front of him scoffed hearing that. Hiruzen and Tsunade just smiled a little, listening to Kushina talk to baby Naruto.

"Naruto, you will face a lot of pain and suffering from now in your life. Believe in yourself... Believe in your dreams... And believe that your dreams will come true! There's many, many, many, many more things I want to share with you. I wish I could stay with you longer…. I love you Naru-chan…" Kushina said crying more at the end.

"Gomen Minato-kun. I spoke for too long..." Said Kushina.

Minato just shook his head and said, "Don't worry." He then looked at Naruto and said, "Naruto, my advice as your father… is everything your chatty mother just said." Minato said smiling weakly.

All the three-shinobi standing on top of the boss toad felt like breaking down looking at the family moment in front of them. All of them at that moment vowed to themselves to look after Naruto to the best of their abilities and make sure to let him have a normal childhood. As normal as he could have. Tsunade who was crying now, vowed she would be the best possible mother to Naruto, which he would need while growing up and throughout his life.

Minato then slowly turned his towards Gerotora, and asked him to come forward. He then took the third scroll and applied some of his chakra into to it. The scroll glowed for a second before it turned back to normal. This scroll was the seal for the **Hakke No Fuin Shiki** which could be used to open the cage of the two bijuus sealed inside Naruto. Minato then gave the scroll to Gerotora, who swallowed the scroll and stored it inside himself. After that, he puffed out of sights to inform the elder toads of Konoha's fate.

Minato then closed his eyes and whispered, " **Hakke** … **Fuin**. (eight trigram sealing style)" and finished the sealing of the Nine-Tails and the Three Tails into Naruto.

Kyuubi's and Sanbi's body soon disappeared once the sealing was done and both Minato and Kushina fell on the ground, dead.

Jiraiya, Tsunade and Hiruzen quickly rushed to their place to see Naruto still sleeping and Minato and Kushina lying on the ground with no signs of life in them.

"We shall hold funeral for our beloved Yondaime Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki in a few days." Said the Third Hokage sadly looking at his former successor. Tsunade went and picked up Naruto and held him close to her and kissed him on the forehead once.

Two Anbu suddenly dropped in front of them and asked, "Sandaime-sama? What happened to Yondaime-sama? Is he… is he dead? And the Kyuubi and the Sanbi? Are they gone too? These two Anbu were in fact Genma Shiranui and Kakashi Hatake.

Hiruzen looked at them immediately recognizing the two in front. "Yes. I am reinstated as Hokage as per the Yondaime's last request. And this is Naruto Namikaze, the Yondaime's son. He sacrificed himself to seal both the Nine-Tails and the Three-Tails inside of him. His seal is absolute. There is no chance of the two bijuus breaking free. Please, do not tell about Naruto being his son to anyone else for now and about his jinchuriki status. You both were close to Minato, hence my reason for telling you the truth." Hiruzen said. Jiraiya and Tsunade who were standing beside Hiruzen nodded to confirm what he just said.

The two Anbu were shell shocked and felt extremely sad upon hearing it. But they did a good job in hiding their shock and pain. "Hai… Hokage-sama."

"Go back to the village and inform everyone that the two tailed beasts have been defeated by our Yondaime Hokage and that he sacrificed his life to defeat those two and saved our village from being perished." Ordered Sarutobi.

The two Anbu nodded and with that the Anbu disappeared to inform the others of the situation being dealt with, and get the injured to treatment now.

"Jiraiya, Tsunade. Let's get back to the village. It's been a long night today… and I would like some rest." Spoke the old Hokage tiredly and in a dismal voice.

They sealed off Minato's and Kushina's body in a body containment seal and slowly walked back to the village, with Naruto sleeping peacefully in Tsunade's hands.

* * *

 **Well that concludes the sealing of the two bijuus in Naruto. Naruto will b raised by Tsunade, with Jiraiya and Shizune helping around. The Sandaime too will play an important part in his life. I have not forgotten about Sasuke. There's a good plot revolving around him and the Uchiha Clan also.**

 **The next chapter will mostly be out on December 21, 2016. Next time the chapter will entail the people's reaction, council meetings regarding the attack and village construction and several more things concerning Naruto, Tsunade and Jiraiya.**

 **Please do follow, Favorite and Review the story, so I can take more of the suggestions into consideration.**

 **Unitl next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author Notes- Hello fellow readers. This chapter talks about the aftermath of the attack on the village hidden in the leaves. Some of the people's concerns regarding the attack and the council meeting that will take place.**

 **Now, some people stated that how is it, that Naruto is able to contain two tailed beasts inside of himself when in the canon he couldn't contain even half of Kyuubi. In this story, in the first chapter, I talked about Saito Uzumaki who became the first clan leader of Uzumaki Clan. When Saito left the Seju Clan, he had a brother. Saito and his brother are direct descendants of Ashura Otsusuki in the family tree in this story. In the second chapter, I mentioned Kushina as the daughter of the deceased leader of the Uzumaki Clan. Kushina is a direct descendant of Saito Uzumaki, which in turn makes her a direct descendant of Ashura Otsusuki. So, since Naruto is Kushina's son, it also makes him a direct descendant of Ashura Otsusuki. Saito's brother who remained in the Senju Clan, was the direct ancestor of Hashirama Senju in the family tree. So, that is how Naruto and Hashirama are related. So, since Naruto is a direct descendant of Ashura in the family tree, he will have strong Senju genes in himself. Also, since he is an inheritor of Ashura Otsusuki's chakra, he will have an immensely potent chakra. His Mokuton ability will also help him keep the two bijuus in check. So, that is why I believe, Naruto should be capable of holding Nine-Tails and Three Tails inside of himself without much problem.**

 **So that's about it. Really glad for some of the reviews I got for the previous chapter. And, don't worry, the updates will be regular.**

 **[Discalimer: I do not own Naruto.]**

 ** _Anyway let the story continue_**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Council Meeting**

* * *

 _Two days after the attack_

Konohagakure No Sato had once more survived one of the biggest catastrophes thrown at them. Surviving the attack of two Tailed Beasts is not something one can take lightly. Many civilians as well as shinobi had perished due to the monsters which the humans call the Kyuubi and the Sanbi.

Several of the clans were hit hard due to the attack. Many shinobi from the Nara Clan as well as the Aburame Clan had died while confronting the Kyuubi. The Inuzuka clan head Tsume Inuzuka bared great dislike towards the Nine-tails for taking her husband away. Although many felt odd that the shinobi from the Uchiha Clan were nowhere to be seen during the confrontation with the two bijuu on the frontline, they did not voice their concerns regarding the matter.

The village was not destroyed completely. It's mainly due to their beloved Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze, who prevented a **Bijuudama** to be blasted inside the village perimeters, the Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, who pushed the Nine-Tails outside the village with the help of his monkey summon and the two Sannin, Jiraiya and Tsunade Senju, who dealt with the Three-Tails. The only parts of the village that were destroyed were the industrial area and the area around the hospital.

By this time, the people of the village were informed that their Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze, had died during his battle with the Kyuubi and the Sanbi by the Anbu. However, they were not informed that the two beasts were sealed inside of a child, the Yondaime's child in fact.

It was a time of grave mourning for everyone in the village. Currently, many of the villagers and shinobi had to camp outside in tents until their homes were rebuilt. The medical staff under Tsunade were constantly treating patients and looking after them in specified tents to save those who had a chance. The village security was on high alert at all times to detect the presence of any foreign shinobi or threats lingering around.

Jiraiya had informed Hiruzen and Tsunade that he had to leave the village for a couple of days to contact his spy network to be on the lookout for the masked man and other threats that Konoha might encounter due to its weakness now.

* * *

Luckily, the Senju compound wasn't destroyed during the attack. Soon after the two bijuu were sealed inside of Naruto, Tsunade had taken him, as well as Shizune, to her home. The compound was protected by various seals that were put on by her grandmother, Mito Uzumaki. It was a wonder, Tsunade mused, that her seals were still in effect.

Currently both Hiruzen and Tsunade were in the living room of the main house of the Senju Compound.

"So Tsunade, how is Shizune doing? Asked Sarutobi.

"She's better than before. Most of her internal and external injuries are healed. I have given her some sedatives to keep her asleep for a while until she recovers her strength to get back on the field." Tsunade said absent mindedly.

"And what about Naruto? Is he okay?"

"Hmm… He's okay too. He sleeps most of the time and when he's awake he doesn't cry much now." Tsunade said.

Hiruzen noticed that Tsunade seemed to be deep in thought at the moment and a bit troubled for reasons he couldn't comprehend. So, he decided to voice his concerns.

"Tsunade-chan, is everything okay? You seem a bit troubled." Said Hiruzen, deciding to approach a bit soothingly.

"Oh, you could tell huh? I was just wondering about Naruto. Now that I think about it, I don't know if I will be a good mother. When Minato asked me that time, looking at the situation before us, I couldn't exactly say no and it was spur of a moment decision. So, I wonder if I will be a good mother figure for Naruto." Tsunade sighed a bit and continued telling, "I mean, I am a mess. I am a heavy drinker, I gamble a lot and I just dread thinking if he will ever accept me as his mother…"

Hiruzen listened to her student speak intently and understood her situation from her point of view. "Do not worry too much Tsunade-chan. Minato and Kushina trusted you, hence they decided that you should be the one to raise their child. Now, Naruto is not only their child, but yours too. I'm sure you will do a wonderful job raising him. Also, you won't be alone remember? Jiraiya, Shizune and I will be there for you every step of the way. Naruto will become the living embodiment of the Minato, Kushina and you, Tsunade-chan. About your habits… I'm sure Naruto will keep you busy enough that you won't get much time for your other less desirable habits." Hiruzen said softly.

Tsunade did not say anything for a few seconds as she pondered over what her sensei just told her. It was true, what he said just now. As time passes, hopefully, she can come out of her shell which she created around herself and enjoy life around her more and maybe Naruto could become the reason for that. She knew she loved Naruto. She would treat him like her own child, which he was now. She knew most of her time would pass by looking after her son and that would keep her busy.

'My son?' Tsunade thought. That thought alone brought a sudden smile and change of mood to her face, which did not go unnoticed by Hiruzen. She looked at Hiruzen and said, "You're right sensei. I should not dwell in such thoughts anymore. He's my son now and nothing is going to change that. He's Senju Naruto, heir to the Senju Clan and son of Senju Tsunade." Tsunade said the last part a little proudly.

Hiruzen smiled upon seeing the determination in her eyes. It reminded him of the times when Tsunade was hell bent on doing something, and most of the time it ended up doing it her way.

"That's good to hear Tsunade-chan." Said Hiruzen.

"So, how are you liking it back in your office, _Hokage-sama_?" asked Tsunade slyly.

Hiruzen caught the mocking tone at the end and growled. It was a well-known fact that none of the kages ever liked to do paperwork. "Oh, don't you dare. The paperwork is endless! I feel the rest of my hair will fall sitting behind that desk and signing those accursed papers."

Tsunade had to hold in a laugh upon hearing that. "Anyway, what are you doing here sensei? Shouldn't you be busy in your work?

"Oh yes, I almost forgot what I came here for. There will be a village gathering at Hokage Tower this evening and I will be making an official announcement regarding Minato and Kushina's death and about my reinstatement as Hokage. There will also be a council meeting tomorrow with the Shinobi and Civilian Council regarding the reconstruction of the village, finances and other matters about the welfare of the village." Said Hiruzen seriously.

"You must keep the civilian council and those three elders at bay sensei. Minato did a good job in reminding them that it is a shinobi village and it's ruled by the Hokage. My grand-uncle had set several laws regarding the civilian council and set them up only for the civilian's welfare. They must be reminded of their position, should they try to usurp their power again." Said Tsunade.

"Yes Tsunade. I'm aware of that. Do not worry too much about them." Hiruzen said with a sigh.

"Well, I think I should be on my way now… Damn paperwork." Hiruzen grumbled.

Hiruzen left the Senju Compound after seeing Naruto's sleeping form in his baby crib and checking up on Shizune once and headed towards his Hokage office.

* * *

 _Later that evening, at the Hokage Tower_

The civilians as well as the shinobi had all been notified of the announcement that would be made in the evening by the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Many had not recovered yet, especially the civilians. Some of the civilians who used to run restaurants had put up stalls for those who were hungry, as this was a time of great need for everyone.

The base of the Hokage Tower was currently crowded by the villagers of Konohagakure No Sato. Those who were not in good condition to stand were sitting down, while some were being supported by their fellow villagers/shinobi. The major clans of Konoha were also present at this moment, as they were informed this was an important announcement.

"I wonder what this announcement is about?" asked a random civilian to another nearby.

"I don't know. But I have heard it's regarding the Kyuubi and Sanbi attack a couple of days back." Replied the person with clear disdain present in his voice when he spoke the names of those monsters.

Several conversations regarding the announcement by the Sandaime were being discussed by both the civilians and shinobi alike.

On top of the Hokage Tower, Sarutobi Hiruzen was standing with the three Konoha elders behind him. Sarutobi looked down upon the crowd and saw some of them talking among themselves and smiled a bit. Even though there was a major scale attack on the village not even two days ago, it had not broken the spirits of the people. They were helping each other out and talking to each other instead of drowning in their sorrows.

What Hiruzen did not know is that among those very people, were some who were festering immense hatred towards the fox and the turtle. The hatred that was developing in their hearts would soon consume them and drive them to do something unimaginable.

Sarutobi looked back at his advisors and they indicated that he should start with the announcement.

The aged Hokage applied some chakra to his voice and spoke, "Citizens of Konohagakure, it is good to see that people are helping each out in this time of need. A village is not made up of buildings and rules, rather it's made of the people that reside in the village. It is no matter that several buildings were destroyed. We shall recover soon from this catastrophe and get back to our normal lives. I do realize, many of us have lost people close to us. But do remember, they did not die in vain. Several who have died have helped some to get to safety, especially the young ones. It is the younger generation that is the future of our village and thus our duty to protect and guide them until they can do the same."

The citizens were intently listening to the Sandaime speak, and some did find a lot of truth in what he was saying as they looked towards the young and smiled. Many shinobi were thinking of their comrades who helped get the civilians to safety and lost their lives on the frontline.

Sarutobi now had a somber look on his face as he continued. "Our beloved Yondaime Hokage sacrificed his life to preserve this village today. He battled the two bijuu, the Kyuubi and the Sanbi, and used an ancient **Kinjutsu** (forbidden jutsu) to take the life of the two demons. Kushina Uzumaki, our deceased Hokage's close friend, also assisted him in performing this jutsu, thus she too was killed during the process."

Many of the villagers by this time had their head down in remembrance of Minato Namikaze, the greatest Hokage to exist up till now and Kushina Uzumaki, the _Akai Chishio No Habanero_. The shinobi who knew Minato and Kushina well, shed some tears too.

Sarutobi exhaled a deep sigh and said, "As per the Yondaime's last wish, I, Sarutobi Hirzuen, the Sadaime Hokage of Konohagakure No Sato shall retake the position of Hokage. We will hold a funeral for our deceased Hokage and all those who sacrificed their lives for the future of this village."

All the people standing in the crowd nodded and smiled at Sarutobi's words and cheered that he would be retaking the position as the leader of the village.

Soon after the announcement was made, Hiruzen saw the people leaving back to their homes and he too turned to leave the office to catch up with his paperwork, when a voice stopped him.

"Sarutobi, don't forget about the council meeting tomorrow. It is important that we get the village running smoothly as soon as possible. The other nations might consider this a good time to show their superiority to us." Said Homura.

Hiruzen nodded and was about to leave again when another annoying voice stopped him.

"What of the jinchuriki, Sarutobi?" asked Danzo.

"It's Hokage-sama to you Danzo. Do not forget your place. I am still the leader of this village and even though you are an advisor and hold a certain amount of power, it is still beneath me. And no, there is nothing to discuss about him right now. Whatever there is, it shall be told in the council meeting tomorrow in front of all the clan heads." Spoke Hiruzen sternly without ever giving a glance to the old war Hawk and walked off to his office.

Unnoticed by anyone else, Danzo had gripped his cane tightly upon being put down like that. It still infuriated him that Tobirama had picked Hiruzen as Hokage instead of him. 'No matter. My time shall come. I will continue to protect my Konoha from the shadows. All I must do is play my cards right and wait for the right opportunity.' Thought Danzo. He looked towards Koharu and Homura and disappeared in a **Sunshin** after giving them a nod.

"Do you think it's wise Homura? I mean, to side with Danzo against Sarutobi. Hiruzen may be a pacifist, but our village has still come on top in two great shinobi wars with him as leader and he's still among the strongest Kage in the elemental nations." Koharu said after seeing the look on Danzo's face.

Both Homura and Koharu knew how infuriated Danzo had become when Hiruzen was given the position of Sandaime Hokage. They were also the only ones in the village who knew the workings of the ROOT ANBU who worked under Danzo's command. Both knew they had become old and were not much of use in the battle field but could still prepare the young to do their duty properly, that is the protection of their homeland.

"We have become old Koharu. It is true some of our ideals do not match that with Hiruzen's, but yes, you are right. Sometimes it's hard to look at Danzo the same way I used to look at him earlier. He was different when we were all under the guidance of Tobirama-sensei. Our village is built on the foundation of the "will of fire". I do not want to change that. We old people are not the ones who should stand out among everyone. It is the job of the younger generation." Homura said, looking straight down at the village, his home.

"So, what should we do? We know what Danzo does is not ethical. But he is still useful to the village."

Homura thought for few moments and said, "We'll keep an eye on him. He trusts us, as of now. So, it will be much easier for us to keep him in check and if he ever endangers our village, he will have to be put down. We'll discuss this later with Hiruzen in private."

Both then headed back to their place after their discussion.

* * *

It was night time in the village hidden in the leaves. Most of the people by this time were asleep in their tents while some of the shinobi were patrolling on the outskirts of the village to keep a lookout for any enemy ninja or other threats.

While the village was deep in sleep, Hiruzen was cursing to himself, sitting at his desk in the office for retaking the position. Not even a few days since he retook the job and his desk was already flooded with so much damn paperwork.

"AHHH! Will these nuisances ever end! How did Minato ever do it!? Shouted the Sandaime as he looked towards Minato's picture on the wall beside the Hokage office door. Said wall also hoisted the picture frames of Shodai, Nidaime and Sandaime Hokage.

Sarutobi while muttering curses got back to signing the papers again as he realized just shouting will not help his case in any way. There were several useless requests made by the civilians which he denied and made the Hokage wonder if there was anything useful among these piles of papers.

While Sarutobi was busy doing his work, he soon felt a presence in his room and knew exactly who it was.

"You can come out now, Jiraiya." Sarutobi said calmly.

"Oh, I could never hide from you, sensei. If it was anyone other than you, I wouldn't be sensed at all." Jiraiya said.

"So, what have you found Jiraiya? Anything worthwhile? Asked Hiruzen.

"I couldn't find much on the masked man, sensei. I don't know how it's possible, but it's like he just disappeared into thin air. Although, I did come across an upcoming group of mercenaries. One of my informants in Tsuchi No Kuni informed me of a group made up of missing nin. They take up missions which are near impossible and their success rate is hundred percent up till now. And the surprising thing is, all these missing nin in the group are S-Rank criminals." Said Jiraiya.

Now, Hiruzen Sarutobi is among the smartest people in the elemental nations. It was his ability to discern a situation with little information and his battle prowess that gave him the title of " _Shinobi No Kami_ ". So, there aren't many things that could surprise him. But hearing about a mercenary group made of only S-Rank criminals did catch his attention. That would also mean that there was someone powerful enough to subdue several kage level shinobi as their leader.

"That is indeed alarming Jiraiya. A shinobi who can defeat several S-Rank criminals and keep them in order is not something to laugh at. Do you know what their purpose is? I doubt someone would willingly gather several such missing nin with no purpose to guide them with?" said an alarmed Hokage.

"Well that's the thing. The group is extremely secretive. I don't know anything else about them."

"Do keep an eye on them Jiraiya. They sound of trouble. As of this moment, Konoha is weak and we need to work hard to make the village stand properly in the eyes of our enemies." Hiruzen said slowly.

Jiraiya knew his sensei was tired. This job of being Hokage was a hard one indeed. It demanded a lot of sacrifice and made you question your morals sometimes. But to keep the village prospering, it was necessary to be tactful and be ready to sacrifice yourself. That's what it meant to be Hokage. You must sacrifice the most, so the people of the village that follow you will have an easy road ahead of them.

Jiraiya thought for a while, whether he should tell sensei about the prophecy and Naruto, but decided he could wait on that for a while. He felt Naruto is too young right now and should be given the chance to enjoy his life as much as he can. He looked at his sensei once again and said, "Well Sarutobi-sensei, I guess I will take my leave now. I will stay in the village more often now, since Naruto and Tsunade will be here. I will be staying with Tsunade in the Senju compound."

"Yes, that's good actually. Naruto will need both of you while growing up. Also, with two of the Sannin in Konoha, I doubt anyone would try to attack the village." Said the Hokage.

Jiraiya and Hiruzen exchanged their goodbyes and the toad sannin left through the same window he had come in while masking his presence.

Jiraiya started jumping from roof to roof at a slow pace and made his way towards the Senju compound.

* * *

Meanwhile in the Senju compound, Shizune was in the living room sitting on the table with a cup of tea in front of her. She had woken up a few hours earlier and was now feeling completely better.

She was informed of the events that took place after she fell unconscious. She was extremely sad after hearing of Minato, Kushina and Rin's death. She may not have known them very well but they were still good people in her books. She felt even more horrible after hearing of Naruto's fate. Being made into the jinchuriki of not only the Sanbi, but the Kyuubi as well and losing both his parents on the day of his birth was not something she would wish on anyone.

Although even among so many grim news, she was glad and shocked to hear the last thing her master had told her. The fact that her master, Tsunade Senju, agreed to adopt Naruto and raise him as her own son, was surprising to her. She did not think the Senju woman would be capable to commit to someone in such a way, after the death of her deceased lover, Dan Kato and her little brother, Nawaki Senju.

Tsunade was sitting on the sofa in the living room with little Naruto in her hands. He was one of the most beautiful and cutest things in her opinion. She sat in an Indian position with both legs crossed and Naruto cradled safely in her arms. Naruto, meanwhile, was sleeping peacefully.

After Hiruzen had visited Tsunade, Naruto had woken up a while later and surprisingly, he did not cry. She expected the child to cry considering most babies of his age do when they wake up from a nap. Although she did notice he felt uncomfortable when she was away from him. Tsunade felt extremely happy that her son felt such an attachment to her already. He would always have a wide smile on his face and giggle when he is in her arms awake. She had spent most of the time today sitting at the koi pond in the Senju compound with little Naruto in her arms.

As she was lost in her thoughts, she felt a slight movement in her arms and looked down to see those curious violet eyes looking at her. She immediately got rid of her thoughts and smiled and said,

"Oh, my little Naru-chan is awake? Did you have a good nap? Asked Tsunade in a very motherly tone.

Naruto just stared at her and smiled once again while moving his tiny hands in air up and down. Tsunade seeing his happy face seemed to take that as a yes and leaned down to kiss him on his forehead.

Shizune, who was sitting on the side, smiled upon seeing the interaction between Naruto and Tsunade. 'I am really glad for you Tsunade-sama. Now, you can put down the wall that you grew in your heart and be happy again. I am sure you will be a wonderful mother to Naruto.' She thought.

Unknown to the two women, a person had just entered the room from the open window in the living room and immediately had a massive nose bleed upon seeing the situation in front of him. What he saw was the massive cleavage of Tsunade while she was leaning down to kiss Naruto on his forehead.

Both Tsunade and Shizune got into defensive stances upon hearing the intruder. When they saw who it was, Tsunade had a scowl on her face and said "Out of all the people, it had be him. Damn that pervert."

Shizune approached Jiraiya and tried to wake him up, as he had a perverted grin on his face. Naruto during all this time just kept staring at the strange man who entered and was now lying on the floor.

After around twenty minutes or so, when everything was settled down, Jiraiya, Shizune and Tsunade with Naruto in her arms were sitting on the sofa.

"So, what are you doing here Jiraiya?" asked an irritated Tsunade after she fixed her clothes.

"Can't a man come to visit his godson huh? I just came back to the village a while back after contacting my spy network. So, I thought I should see little Naruto and you"

"Yeah right. All you want to see is perverted stuff." Mumbled Tsunade.

Jiraiya just scoffed and looked at Shizune and said, "How are you now Shizune? Feeling better now?"

"Yes. Thank you Jiraiya-sama. Tsunade-sama treated all of my injuries and I'm fine now." Said Shizune.

"Tsunade, I will be staying in the village a lot more now. I want to be there for Naruto while he grows up. It's still hard to believe Minato and Kushina are gone, but their legacy, and now your son, Naruto is still here. So, I want be there by his side." Jiraiya said in a soft tone looking at Naruto, who too was staring at Jiraiya.

Tsunade felt a bit down thinking about Minato and Kushina, but she knew it was no use thinking of what has already happened. She then looked down at Naruto and saw him staring at Jiraiya and smiling a bit. 'I guess, it will be okay. Naru-chan will need a male figure in his life.' Thought Tsunade.

"…If you ever try anything perverted and do something inappropriate around him Jiraiya, I swear, you won't be a man anymore after that." Threatened Tsunade. Jiraiya just gulped and nodded his head listening to Tsunade, while Shizune was covering her mouth trying not to laugh at that. Tsunade could be scary when wants to be.

For the next few hours, Tsunade and Jiraiya chatted with each other while Naruto was being held by Jiraiya. Shizune went to the kitchen to prepare dinner for everyone. After the dinner was made, Tsunade put Naruto back in his baby crib as he showed signs of falling asleep. The three adults then had their dinner in a tranquil way, where Tsunade, Shizune and Jiraiya were talking about Naruto and how he would grow up.

* * *

 _The next day_

Jiraiya and Tsunade were both currently in the Hokage's office sitting on a futon. Naruto was currently all wrapped up in a forest green blanket and awake in his mother's arms. He would often yawn and close his eyes for a while and at times look around the office with his wide innocent eyes.

Sarutobi was standing near the window looking down at his village and puffing at his pipe.

"So, Sarutobi-sensei, when does the meeting start and why did you wish to talk to us before it?" asked Tsunade.

"Tsunade, during the council meeting, many topics will be brought forth. Reconstruction of the village, finance situation, shinobi duties during this time, and the attack on the village." Spoke Hiruzen.

"Yes, you told me sensei. What about it? Obviously, you didn't just want to speak with me and Jiraiya for those matters privately."

"I know. What I mean about the attack on the village is of the fate of the two bijuu. Some of the people are not so ignorant as to believe that a mere human could kill a bijuu. I am certain that Danzo will bring up that topic, seeing as how he approached me yesterday regarding the Jinchuriki." Said Hiruzen calmly.

"What? But how does he know? He was not even on the battle field? And I'm pretty sure none of us would just go to him and tell him about the Kyuubi!" Tsunade said worriedly.

"Don't worry. I put down any discussion he could have brought right there. We have to reveal Naruto's heritage to the shinobi council and also the fact that he's now your adopted son as per Minato's last wish, which he also stated in a letter." Sarutobi said, taking out a letter out of his desk.

He then handed the letter to Jiraiya and Tsunade who then went over the letter once each.

"Minato was always a smart person. Even during battle, he remembered to make sure Naruto will have a good life." Said Jiraiya.

Both Tsunade and Sarutobi nodded their head at that, remembering some of the instances when both were appalled by the sheer brilliance and kind nature which was exuded by Minato.

"Tsunade, I must warn you, you may not like some of the things Danzo might say during the council meeting or some of the reasons he may bring forward to be handed custody of Naruto, so please refrain yourself from destroying anything." Hiruzen spoke looking at the slug Sannin.

"I will try sensei. Can't make any promises. Naruto is my son now. If someone tries to do any harm to him, they will meet fist sooner or later." The tone in which Tsunade said that made both Jiraiya and Sarutobi flinch a bit.

'I hope everything goes well. You can be scary when you want to be, Tsunade-chan' Hiruzen thought.

While Tsunade, Jiraiya and Sarutobi were discussing their matters, there was a knock on the office door, followed by an "Enter" from Sarutobi. A few seconds later, a woman in her mid-twenties with short brown hair entered the office. This was Matsuki, the secretary of the Third Hokage. She walked inside and saw Tsunade and Jiraiya standing there with Hiruzen. Her eyes then fell on the small blonde haired baby that was Naruto sleeping in Tsunade's arms. She wondered who the baby was and then realized she spaced out for a few seconds.

She turned to face her Hokage and spoke, "Hokage-sama, the council is ready for the meeting. All the clan heads and the members from the civilian council have gathered in the council chambers along with the three elders."

"Thank you for your assistance Matsuki-san. We will be there shortly. You may go back now." Hiruzen acknowledged.

Matsuki bowed once and left the office to get back to her desk to continue her work. Sarutobi, Jiraiya and Tsunade along with Naruto too left the office towards the council chambers.

 _Council Chambers_

The council chamber was currently in a bustle of activity as they waited for the last three members to come in for the meeting. There was an air of tension in the room which was evident on the faces of all the council members. Most of the clans as well as the members from the civilian council had lost someone close to them during the attack three days earlier. Many of the civilian council members were eagerly awaiting this, having made plans earlier to reacquire power once again.

The elders were also another group that were present in the chambers. Danzo was standing with a stoic mask on his face and holding a cane in his left hand. Homura and Koharu were standing beside him, waiting to see what Sarutobi would do during this meeting.

It was about ten minutes later that the door to the council chambers opened and in walked Hiruzen Sarutobi, dawning in his white and red Hokage robes followed by Jiraiya, Tsunade and Naruto who was still asleep in his mother's arms.

The Hokage sat down at his seat which was at the head of the table. At the opposite end of the table, were the three Elders. On Sarutobi's left side were the Civilian Council members and on his right, were the Shinobi Council members/Clan Heads.

There was an empty seat near the Hokage's on the Shinobi Council side which was taken by Tsunade and Naruto. Next to her was the head of the Hyuuga Clan, Hiashi Hyuuga, who just looked at her and nodded. She did notice he was particularly looking at Naruto and his eyes did widen a little, although he kept quiet. Next to him was the Uchiha Clan head, Fugaku Uchiha, who did not spare her a glance, followed by Aburame Shibi, head of the Aburame Clan head, Tsume Inuzuka, head of the Inuzuka Clan, Nara Shikaku, Jonin Commander and head of the Nara Clan, Inoichi Yamanaka, head of the Yamanaka Clan and the last one on the Shinobi Council was Choza Akimichi, head of the Akimichi Clan.

On the civilian council member side, there were various wealthy merchants and veteran shinobi who are now civilians due to an abrupt halt in their ninja careers because of their injuries. They also included some of the most important civilians of the village that ran most shops, provided food, clothes and other materials and services for the shinobi use.

Sarutobi, seeing that everyone was just quite for a while cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention. "The council is in session now."

Homura took a few steps towards the table and spoke, "As we all know few days ago, our village was attacked by two bijuu, the Nine-Tails and the Three Tails, which destroyed some parts of our village. We were lucky that our Yondaime Hokage, along with Kushina Uzumaki, Sandaime-Sama, Jiraiya and Tsunade could deal with them effectively, thus decreasing the damage the two beasts might have caused. As it stands, I doubt we could call Konohagakure No Sato the strongest village among the elemental nations anymore. Our village morale is down now and we must act immediately towards those matters concerning our village as soon as possible." He paused for a while and saw that everyone on the shinobi side seemed to agree with him and along with those on the civilian side.

"Now Nara Shikaku, briefly tell us the damage that was sustained by the village and the number of casualties for both the shinobi and civilians." He said looking at Shikaku.

"Troublesome. Why must it be me?" Shikaku muttered. He then looked at Sarutobi and spoke, "Hokage-sama, due to the prior information of the attack which was given to all the clan heads and the ANBU, most of the civilians were taken to the emergency safe zones behind the Hokage monument. Although there were some unfortunate ones who were not able to get away in time. As of now, per my report, between 200 to 300 civilians lost their lives, mainly those who were still inside their homes during evacuation. Their corpses have been recovered and have been taken to the morgue. Now, in case of the shinobi, I would say around 40% of our ninja forces were killed during the attack. These includes shinobi from the Nara Clan, Aburame Clan, Akimichi Clan, Inuzuka Clan and the Sarutobi Clan. Most of these shinobi who were killed were on the frontline battling the Nine-Tails and the Three-Tails." Said Shikaku in a serious tone.

Hokage nodded his head, listening to his jonin commander's report and said, "Thank you Shikaku."

"We must increase the border patrol even more for the next few months and keep an eye on the other villagers in case they try to do something. Also, for the next few years, the number of the missions handled by our village will increase to increase the revenue of the village. I know many of you have lost someone close to you over here, and may need some time to grieve, but it's a critical time right now. As elder Homura said, we are vulnerable right and our morale is down. The more missions we take, with the quality of our shinobi the mission success rate will be good, which in turn will increase our standing in the eyes of the villages and make them hesitant to do something against us. But we must work hard together at this point, as this village was built on the foundation of the 'will of fire' and 'teamwork'. I believe in this village and together, we will be able recover from this situation in given time." Said the Third Hokage looking at everyone.

Many in the council chambers felt their spirits rejuvenated upon hearing their Hokage's words.

Danzo who was standing on the side, quiet up to this point was the only one who felt what Sarutobi said was naïve. 'It's time to increase our military strength and show other villages what we can do Sarutobi. Your pacifist ideals are not going to take us anywhere.' He thought.

"Hokage-sama?" asked the Uchiha Clan head. Sarutobi looked at Fugaku and urged him to continue.

"What happened to the two bijuus? Could you go into the details about how Yondaime Hokage was able to _kill_ the Kyuubi and the Sanbi?" Hirzuen tensed a bit and looked at Jiraiya and Tsuande upon hearing Fugaku ask that. He also noticed the way he asked how Minato _killed_ the two bijuus, as if taunting his abilities.

"I would ask the civilian council to leave now, as what I'm about to say it doesn't concern you anymore." Sarutobi said sternly.

"What? We are part of this council. And we have every right to be here. You can't just kick us out!" shouted one of the civilian merchants. There were several similar statements given by the other members of the civilian council.

"Silence! Might I remind you, that you are only here for the welfare of the civilians and not concerning shinobi matters. As per Konoha Law states, I, the Hokage, have every right to excuse you from the council chambers right now. The civilian council has no power during times of emergency which puts the village in danger." Sarutobi said looking directly into the eyes of the member who first voiced his statement, while also releasing a subtle amount of killing intent.

Those who were shouting earlier were now brought back to reality when the killing intent seemed to hit their senses and immediately made them shut their mouths.

"Whatever requests you may have can be sent to me in a written form and I will go over them and decide if it's acceptable. I realize many of your businesses are hampered due to the attack, and you all shall be given a certain amount of money to get your business back on track." Hiruzen spoke again, to calm their nerves slightly. He then ordered the ANBU present outside the council chambers to escort the civilian members outside the room.

'Smart move Hiruzen. I see what you're doing about not talking about the jinchuriki in front of the civilians. No matter. They shall know soon.' Danzo thought, who was keeping quiet, standing beside the other two elders of the village.

All the clan heads, Jiraiya and Tsunade were impressed with how Sarutobi had handled the civilians. None of them ever did like those power-hungry fools. Hiruzen then motioned for Jiraiya to come and state the matter at hand regarding the two bijuu, who was standing behind Tsunade, near the wall.

Jiraiya stepped up in front of all the clan heads and looked at everyone as if trying to read their minds. He then started speaking, "First of all, the bijuus are beasts entirely made of chakra. It is impossible for any human to kill them. Chakra cannot be killed. It can only be absorbed or be sealed." At this point, many of the clan heads were looking at each other and thinking the same thing, 'So it's true, the Kyuubi and the Sanbi are not dead'. Jiraiya saw the look of fear on many of their faces and explained further, "My student, Minato Namikaze did the next best thing he could to ensure to survival of this village. He sealed the two beasts into a child."

There were many gasps heard among the clan heads, not because a jinchuriki was made, but because two bijuu were sealed inside a single person.

"Jiraiya-sama? How is this possible? Two bijuu inside one person? I have never heard of such a thing. And who is this child you are talking about?" asked Tsume.

"Minato sealed the two bijuu inside his own child." Jiraiya said.

And that was the statement that brought chaos within the chamber walls. "What the hell? His child? When did he have a kid? Forget that when did he even marry? Why weren't we informed?" asked Fugaku. This question was in the minds of several other clan heads.

Jiraiya just motioned towards the baby which Tsunade was holding and now that everyone got a good look at him, they could see the resemblance between their late Yondaime and Naruto.

"His name is Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze." It was Tsunade who said it.

"Uzumaki? You don't mean… her, do you?" asked Shikaku. Tsunade just smirked and said, "Yes, Shikaku. It's her child too. Minato and Kushina married during the war in secret. Minato wanted to keep it a secret until the war was over and until Naruto was born. He had many enemies, and he didn't want to risk Kushina's safety during the war, even though she was powerful on her own."

The clan heads had mixed reaction concerning the matter at their hand. On one hand, this was the Yondaime Hokage's child, who is practically royalty in the village and on the other hand, is that two monsters were sealed inside him who took the lives of many of friend and family.

It was Tsume who spoke now, "I won't lie. I am a bit apprehensive towards the pup. My husband was killed by the nine-tails after all. But I know it's not his fault for the situation he is in right now. Just tell me, are you sure the seal which contains the two beasts is safe? Is there any danger of the two bijuus getting out?"

The Uchiha Clan head decided to just stay quiet at this point. He knew what many of the shinobi thought of the Uchiha. Since they were not present on the battle field during the attack, many suspected that it the Uchiha Clan's fault for the presence of the Kyuubi and the Sanbi. It was no secret to anyone that the sharingan can subdue the bijuu.

"No. Minato used an ancient **Kinjutsu** called the **Hakke No Fuin Shiki** to seal the two bijuu inside Naruto here. His Uzumaki genes give him fast regeneration, and extremely potent chakra. This **kinjutsu** summons the Shinigami who seals the desired object in a host at the cost of the jutsu's caster's life. So basically, the seal is powered by the Shinigami. Also, another thing about this seal is that, it slowly drains the chakra of the beasts and pours it into the natural chakra reservoir of the person, in turn making their chakra capacity increase and increasing the potency of their chakra. Lastly, there is no way for the two bijuu to escape their prison. The two bijuu are now bound to Naruto's soul, which means, if Naruto dies, the two bijuu will also die, that is, that their souls would be taken by the Shinigami. So, do not worry about them getting out. Naruto also is not going to be affected by their presence." Explained the toad Sannin in detail.

The explanation seemed to calm the nerves of several clan heads who now looked relieved.

Danzo who was quiet up till now spoke, "Hokage-sama, I request the boy be given to me for training when he's of right age. He is a jinchuriki, a human sacrifice. He needs to be molded into the perfect weapon for this village. Under my training, he will prosper much and with the might of the nine-tails and three-tails at our disposal, other villages will definitely cower before us."

Tsunade who became enraged upon hearing this was about to yell at him, when she saw Sarutobi raise his hand.

"That will not be required Danzo. I have a letter signed by Minato, which asks Tsunade to raise Naruto as her own child and my student has already agreed to raise Naruto. As for training, I believe Tsunade and Jiraiya will be adequate for him as he grows up. We do not need a weapon Danzo. We need a loyal shinobi who cares for this village. One who fights and protects this village till his/her last breath." Said the Hokage firmly.

"He's right Danzo. Your training methods will do nothing but kill the boy's emotion. He's a child, and even now he's protecting the village by keeping the two beasts sealed. The child should be hailed as a hero." Surprisingly, it was Hiashi who voiced his thoughts in front of everyone.

He looked at Tsunade and said, "Tsunade-sama, Minato and Kushina were good friends of mine and Hitomi. And I have no doubt in his sealing prowess. It makes me sad that he won't be there to raise his child with Kushina, but I'm also glad you are offering to raise Naruto as your own son. The Hyuuga Clan shall offer you any assistance you may require."

"I must concur with Hiashi-sama. Naruto is only a child. It is more important for him to have a normal childhood and come to love this village on his own terms. The more people he associates with, the more friends he may make and thus he will be forming roots in this village. That will only increase his love towards Konohagakure. The Nara Clan will also provide help when required to Naruto and Tsuande-sama."

One by one, most of the clan heads agreed with Hiashi and decided it was best for Naruto to have a normal childhood and come to love the village with his own views. Eventually even Homura and Koharu agreed with this decision. Tsunade was glad. Mere moments ago, Danzo, was planning to take her child away, 'Ha! Like I will let him. That old bone must go through me first.' She thought and now nearly all the clan heads were in support of Naruto being raised by her.

The only one who didn't say anything was Fugaku. He didn't like the fact that a new Senju heir was coming in the village. His clan's status was drastically decreasing within the village and so was their power. 'I will think of something, when the situation is unavoidable.' He thought at the end.

"This is outrageous. He is nothing but weapon. Kami has gifted us with a boy with immense untapped potential. If I train the boy, we can be on top against all the other four great nations." Shouted Danzo.

"My decision is final Danzo, and watch your tone when you're speaking to your Hokage. I shall not remind you again. Naruto will now be known as Senju Naruto, since Tsunade will be adopting him into the Senju Clan. When the time is right, he will be told of his birth parents and the burden he bears. Until then, I make it a S-Class secret. No one is to talk about Naruto's heritage outside these chambers or discuss about his burden to anyone else without his permission." Hiruzen said in a dead-serious tone.

'Damn you Sarutobi! It doesn't matter. Soon things will go my way. Let's see how the civilians handle the news of the jinchuriki. He will be my weapon sooner or later.' Thought an enraged Danzo.

"Now setting that aside, we will require some new treaties with other villages soon. Sunagakure is an option. They are the closest to our village and were mostly neutral towards us during the last war. Let's wait a few years and then we'll approach them." He paused and looked at the reports in his hands which Shikaku had given him earlier in the meeting, and said, "The hospital and the industrial parts of the village were affected the most as per the reports. The Akimichi Clan could provide the man power required for moving heavy objects along with the Nara and Aburame Clan. The finances will be arranged soon. I will have a talk with the Fire Daimyo soon, to ask for his assistance in the matter."

The other occupants of the council seemed to agree with their roles and the Akimichi, Nara and Aburame clan were glad to help in the reconstruction of the village in any way they could. The rest of the meeting went without a hitch and soon all the clan heads and the elders had taken their leave to their respective places.

* * *

Sarutobi, Jiraiya, Tsunade and Naruto went back to the Hokage's office after the council meeting was over.

"Well, that went well. It's good most of the clans consider Naruto to be a normal kid." Said Jiraiya looking at Naruto who awoke earlier due to the commotion in the council chambers.

"Yes. I am happy about that. At least my Naru-chan can have a peaceful life inside the village now and can make friends with other kids of his age." Tsunade said.

"Won't you my little Naru-chan? You are going to make a lot friends and play with them huh?" she said to Naruto wriggling his little nose which seemed to make Naruto really happy and made him giggle a bit looking at his mother.

"Well, it is nice to hear the prospect of Naruto having a good life ahead. But we will still have to train him properly when he's of age Tsunade, Jiraiya. Because of the burden, he carries, he won't have an easy life outside the village. We can only make sure to keep him safe properly inside the walls of Konohagakure No Sato." Hiruzen said.

"Don't worry Sarutobi-sensei. I will look after his training personally, and I know Jiraiya will help too when we start with Naruto." Tsunade said with a smile.

"You bet I will! He's my godson after all. I will make him into a fine shinobi and other things too." Jiraiya said with a perverted grin at the end which earned him a chakra powered punch to his face.

Sarutobi just sighed seeing his students' antics. He then looked at Naruto who was looking at the big hole created by Jiraiya when he was thrown outside by Tsunade's punch and thought, 'Senju Naruto, I can't wait to see how your story unfolds in the future'.

* * *

 **Okay. So that's a wrap. I hope you all find the how the story is proceeding as of yet, good. I wanted to have the relationship between the Hyuugas and the Senjus good, so that was one my main reasons to have Hiashi support Tsunade raising Naruto. Also, because, when Naruto's father is revealed to him, there will be someone else other than Tsunade and Jiraiya to tell him how Minato was during his childhood.**

 **The next chapter will probably come on December 29, 2016. The next chapter will have a time skip to when Naruto is three years of age and will talk about Naruto's training when he's 5 years old.**

 **Please do follow, favorite and review the story.**

 **Until next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author Notes- Hello fellow readers! I apologize in the delay for the upload of the latest chapter. But, since it was Christmas a few days back, I suppose I can be excused this once. Also, I changed my pen name from abhimitras to blackfoxX10.**

 **So, this chapter talks about how Naruto and Sasuke met for the first time. I will be making Sasuke a bit of a happy child initially. As he grows, he will start to notice the subtle changes in Itachi, which will also have an adverse effect on him in becoming colder. So, when Itachi finishes off the Uchiha Clan, apart from his brother, the hatred boiling inside Sasuke at his brother will be immeasurable. It is said, the more an Uchiha loves something and is snatched away, the deeper he falls for the "Curse of Hatred". Both Naruto and Sasuke are just three years and few months. So, they will have some childish tendencies. As they grow up and indulge themselves in shinobi training, their personalities will change.**

 **[Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.]**

 _ **Anyway let the story continue**_

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Meeting of two brothers**

* * *

 _ **Time** **skip:** **Three Years and Seven Months**_

"Damn Boy…! Get back here and eat your vegetables." Mock shouted Tsunade as she ran after an almost four-year blond boy. The boy had spiky blond hair and jaw length bangs on each side, and some of his hair covered his forehead. He wore a white t-shirt with Senju Clan symbol on the back of his shirt and black shorts. He had green slippers on, which surprisingly had several toad pictures imprinted on them. This boy was indeed Senju Naruto. He was now three years and seven months of age.

"Hahaha... Kaa-chan! Kaa-chan, you're not going to get me to eat those vegetables. I don't like them at all." Playfully said Naruto while sticking his tongue out to his mother and once again running off to the gardens at the back of the house.

The gardens behind the main house of the Senju Compound was a scene to behold. There were trees, bushes, lush green grass and beautiful flowers as far as one could see. There was one tree in the middle which was the largest among all and provided good shade for someone sitting under it. There was also a koi pond at the side of that large tree where several ducks swam. The special character about these trees, grass and bushes in the garden was that, they contained Hashirama Senju's chakra, as they were in fact grown by him. While the pond in the garden was Tobirama Senju's doing, which he made by gathering the moisture in the air particles. The Nidaime's control over _suiton_ natured chakra was considered an epitome even among the shinobi of Kirigakure No Sato, who excelled in _suiton_ ninjutsu.

Naruto ran as fast as his little legs could take him and went under the shade of the largest tree in the garden and sat down. He put his back on the tree and spread his legs on the soft grass in a carefree manner. He put his hands behind his head for support and closed his eyes to enjoy the calm breeze that was blowing. He instantly felt at ease and calm. He couldn't explain it why, but sitting in a garden, forest or in general nature itself made him feel a sense of serenity. It was as if, the nature was beckoning him to come to it. He opened his eyes and looked towards the sky. It was a cloudy day today, with a slight tint of orange to it. He could barely see the sun. 'Ah. I like it here', Naruto thought to himself, as a content smile formed on his face and he closed his eyes again.

Unknown to Naruto, Tsunade who was standing nearby without alerting Naruto of her presence saw the content smile on her son's face and how he seemed to enjoy nature so much. It eerily reminded her of her grandfather, Hashirama Senju, but thought nothing much of it. She slowly approached Naruto from behind the tree and went in front to stand in front of Naruto. She bent down and casually poked Naruto on the forehead. "Ow Ow... Kaa-chan!" whined Naruto.

Hearing Naruto call her Kaa-chan, still warmed her heart. She looked at him smiling and said, "Naru-chan. Come on. You know, you have to eat healthy food to grow up strong." Said Tsuande.

"But I don't want to. I don't like them and I like just lying down here on the grass. It's peaceful." He said the last part with a soft whisper.

"Hmm… You know, I thought I would take you outside to play at the playground with other children your age, had you eaten your vegetables. But seeing the situation now, I guess, I will have to go alone with Shizune." Tsunade said with, smirking in her mind.

Hearing that, made Naruto perk up a bit. "Really? You were really thinking to take me to the park to meet other children?" He asked with an innocent voice.

"Yes son, I did. I even thought of getting you an ice-cream cone after that." She said with a straight face. Naruto eyed his mother with a hard gaze, as hard a gaze a three-year-old could make. Tsunade instantly wanted to hug her blonde boy to death upon seeing his cute face but held her straight face.

After what seemed like eternity, Naruto nodded to his mother. She picked him up in her arms and he happily put his head in the crook of her neck and sighed contently. Tsunade always liked, how Naruto felt peaceful and happy whenever she was close to him. The mother and son duo, then went inside their haven, to the dining table and sat down.

Somewhat glaring at the vegetables, Naruto picked up his spoon, and started gulping down the vegetables on his plate as fast as he could. As Naruto was eating his food, Tsunade looked at her son again and thought about how four years almost passed and how much her life had changed in those years.

 _ **Flashback**_

 _Tsunade was sitting at the porch at the back of her house. Jiraiya was standing beside her looking at a small blonde boy who too was looking at them. Naruto, at this point was almost a year old. He couldn't speak properly yet. Most of the time, it was baby language which Tsunade and Shizune for some reason seemed to understand while Jiraiya couldn't make heads or tails of it._

" _wah wah wah…" Naruto said with a chirpy expression on his face looking at his mother, who was sitting a few distances away._

" _Naru-chan. Come over here. Come on. Come to Kaa-chan." Tsunade said with a hopeful expression on her face as she opened her arms to urge Naruto to come to her. Oh, how she wished Naruto would call her 'Kaa-chan'._

 _Naruto smiled again widely when he saw his mother speak to him. He then started crawling towards her so he could sit on his mother's lap. Tsunade then immediately put her arms down. Naruto seeing that, sat down confused and tilted his head to the side cutely as Tsunade resisted with all her heart to not hug the boy to death. She opened her arms again and he smiled as he again started crawling to her and she again put her arms down. She giggled a bit as she saw Naruto puffing his cheeks making him look all the more adorable in the eyes of both Tsunade and Jiraiya._

 _Jiraiya just stood to the side and watched the mother and son pair having a good time. He saw Tsunade teasing Naruto a bit and laughed as he saw Naruto puffing his cheeks. Jiraiya saw that Naruto never cried no matter how much Tsunade teased him and the most Naruto would ever do was puff his cheeks._

 _Tsunade opened her arms again and saw Naruto put his hands to the ground and stood up with shaking legs as he took a step towards her and her eyes widened. Jiraiya gasped as he too went closer to Tsunade to watch Naruto take his first steps. Tsunade's face had a big smile on her now as she saw her baby son, take his first few steps. She saw him look at her with those ever curious eyes and urged him more to come to her._

" _Come on Naru-chan, just a bit more. Come to Kaa-chan." She said in a motherly tone. Naruto took few more steps and she saw him stumble a bit. She immediately ran to him and grabbed him in her arms before he could fall and hurt himself. She saw him gazing at her. Then, he put his little hand on her left cheek and kissed her sloppily making her giggle. She pinched his nose slightly making his face scrunch a bit and she embraced him even more tightly. Naruto was only glad that he was in his mother's arms and tried to put his tiny hands around his mother's neck and put his head at the crook of her neck._

" _Oh, Naru, you walked so much just because of me. I love you so much Naru-chan." She whispered and he snuggled in her arms making her smile. She gazed into his violet eyes that always mesmerized her and kissed him on the nose making him giggle._

" _You're Kaa-chan's little boy aren't you Naru-chan?" she cooed and kissed him again making him giggle. Tsunade then started to tickle the boy making him laugh even more._

 _ **Flashback End**_

Tsunade smiled fondly as she remembered her son's first steps and how happy she felt at that time. She too had changed a lot in the past few years. She had toned down on her drinking and gambling habits a lot as most of her time now went spending with Naruto. In her free time, when Shizune or Jiraiya were looking after Naruto, she had gotten back to her medical studies. She found it refreshing to get back to the medical field after so long. One of the few techniques which she invented during these four years was the **Uetto Nashingu No Jutsu** (Wet Nursing Jutsu).This technique was meant for nurses who wanted to breast feed new born children who were orphans. Tsunade used this jutsu to breastfeed Naruto when he was younger and required mother's milk as his nourishment. The level of chakra control required for this technique was extremely high and thus it was considered as a breakthrough in the medical field. Several medic ninjas from other shinobi villages had travelled to Konoha to learn this jutsu. Tsunade obviously had charged them for it, never giving up the chance to make easy money.

Tsunade was brought out her musings as she felt a tug on her kimono and looked down to see Naruto staring at her.

"Kaa-chan. I finished eating the vegetables. Can we go to playground now?" Naruto asked happily.

"Yes Naru-chan. Come on, wash your mouth now quickly and we'll go outside to the playground." Tsunade said getting up from her seat to put on her sandals.

Naruto quickly went to the washroom and cleaned himself and came out to the front door to see his mother waiting for him. As soon as he was about to step out the house, Tsunade saw her son stiffen and halt his steps. She noticed he had a downcast expression and wondered what he was so worried about, although she had a nagging feeling, it wouldn't be anything good.

Tsunade kneeled on the ground in front of her son and lifted his chin to meet his gaze and in a motherly voice she said, "What's wrong Naru-chan? Do you not want to go outside? Other kids will also be coming, you know."

"What if the other children don't want to play with me?" Naruto sniffled a bit saying that. "What if they say bad things too about me?" he said looking down again.

Tsunade felt immense sadness and anger upon hearing her three-year-old son say that. Somehow, the news that Naruto was the jinchuriki of the Kyubi and the Sanbi had spread like wildfire throughout the entire village. While none of the civilians and even some shinobi dared not say anything while she was out with Naruto, she knew as soon as her back was turned to them, they start cursing Naruto's existence. Some even went as far to call him terms like 'Monster' or 'Demon' in front of her. The culprits obviously paid the price of being dragged by ANBU to Interrogation and Torture Department and then thrown to prison. But that did not stop the people from whispering. In time, even Naruto seemed to notice the harsh glares and shrill treatment towards himself. She often found him just lying in his bed silently staring at the ceiling, a lone tear often escaping his eyes. She felt anger towards the unjust treatment the village showed towards Naruto or a three-year old child in fact.

Tsunade engulfed Naruto in a hug and just held him close to her for a few minutes, while stroking his hair and whispering soothing things to him. Naruto calmed down a bit and put his arms around his mother and laid his head on her shoulder.

"Don't worry Naru-chan. None of them are going to say anything. Plus, most of the kids in the playground will be clan heirs just like you. And knowing the clans, I am sure the children will love to play with you." Tsunade whispered slowly.

Naruto nodded listening to what his mother said but still had his downcast look. Tsunade seeing that, started tickling him in his belly and under his arms, which got the desired result. Naruto started laughing loudly and fell on the ground on his butt clutching his stomach. Tsunade giggled seeing Naruto give her a glare. She too sat down and motioned for him to come to her.

Naruto got up from his position and then went to sit on his mother's lap.

"Naruto. I want you to promise me something today okay? Our clan, the Senju, it is a shinobi family, and life of a shinobi is never easy and is filled with obstacles and enemies. I won't force you to become a shinobi but if you do want to become one, promise me that, you will not sulk down like this? That whatever comes in your way, you will always keep that happy attitude of yours and never give up no matter what. Can you promise me that Naru-chan?" she said sweetly looking straight into Naruto's eyes.

Naruto's eyes widened a bit upon hearing that and he gazed at his mother with a determined look in his eyes. He got up from his mother's lap and stood before her. He then made a fist with his left hand, pointing the thumb towards himself grinning and said, "Of course, I will become a shinobi! Just you wait and see, I will make you proud Kaa-chan! I will become the best shinobi in our village, that way no one will say bad things about me! I won't get sad either from now! The name Senju Naruto, will be known by everyone. I promise!"

It sounded a bit childish to Tsunade, hearing such a proclamation from Naruto, but she was glad, he was not feeling bitter now like earlier and that smile on his face radiated such joy. It made her heart melt.

"Come on now Naru-chan. Let's go to the park okay?" Tsunade said.

"Hai! Hai! Kaa-chan." Happily chirped Naruto as he held on to his mother's hands as they walked out of the Senju Compound towards the park.

* * *

A lot had changed in Konohagakure No Sato. The village had recovered well within the span of last few years. The buildings had been reconstructed and those who had lost their business during the attack and got back to it, with the ample amount of money they were given by their leader. The shinobi worked hard during the mission which kept their visage outside the village still strong. Also, the fact that the village now had two of the _Densetsu No Sannin_ in the village kept their standing strong among the Great Five Nations of the elemental nations.

A few months after Naruto was born, the news that the Senju heir is the jinchuriki of the monsters that attacked their village spread to almost every shinobi and civilian in the village. At first, the people found it hard to digest, that heir of such a noble clan could be a _demon_. But looking at his whisker marks, the civilians and some shinobi could not retort that the fact to themselves that it could be true.

It's amusing how human nature works. People tend to fear something they do not understand. Naruto was hailed as the hope of the village, as the heir of the noble Senju Clan, and almost immediately scorned and hated by the population of Konoha when news of his container status got out. The glares, the whispers, the ignorant behavior, all pointed towards an innocent toddler. A child who could not even speak and understand the rights and wrongs of the world against the ignorant fools of the village. Tsunade was livid upon seeing her son treated in such manner. There were many times when Shizune and Sarutobi had to hold down Jiraiya and Tsunade, so they wouldn't beat these fools to a bloody pulp. But, even the prospect of bringing forth the anger of two Sannins did not stop the vile acts. The Sandaime Hokage of the village, had to make a S-Class Law stating that, if anyone ever talked about the Kyubi or the Sanbi in front of Naruto, they would be taken to Torture and Interrogation department and thrown to prison. That somehow seemed to tone down from openly glaring at the boy. So, they did the next best thing possible. They started to ignore him.

Several of the major Clans in Konoha, had heirs born to them in the past three years.

The Yamanaka Clan had a girl born to them, named Ino Yamanaka. The Aburame Clan had a boy born to them, named Shino Aburame. Chouji Akimichi, heir to the Akimichi Clan. Kiba Inuzuka, heir to the Inuzuka Clan. Shikamaru Nara, heir to the Nara Clan. All these children had a healthy birth and Tsunade seemed glad there wasn't any attack on the village during those times.

* * *

 _Uchiha Compound_

The Uchiha Clan is one of the founding clans of Konohagakure No Sato along with the Senju Clan. It is known all over the elemental nations that the battle prowess of the Uchihas is on par with Senju. And it is indeed true as the devoted doujutsu of the Uchiha Clan, the Sharingan gives them an immense advantage during battle. The Uchiha Clan have produced some incredibly powerful shinobis since the Warring Clan Era states. The legendary Uchiha Madara, even though labeled a traitor to his own village, was the only one who could go toe to toe with Hashirama Senju, the Shodaime Hokage and hailed as the 'Shinobi No Kami'. Kagame Uchiha, a student under the belt of Nidaime Hokage, Tobirama Senju was said to be almost on par with his sensei.

Itachi Uchiha and Sasuke Uchiha.

The two heirs of the Uchiha Clan and the sons of the current clan head and Uchiha matriarch, Fugaku Uchiha and Mikoto Uchiha.

Itachi is now eight years of age while his little brother Sasuke was now three years and nine months. Even though the age gap between the two brothers was considerably big, the two were inseparable. Itachi absolutely adored his little brother and Sasuke never left Itachi's side when he was at home.

Itachi became a genin at the age of six. He graduated the Shinobi Academy in Konoha in a mere one year and top of his class. He was hailed as the prodigy of the Uchiha Clan. Many might call him arrogant considering what he has achieved at the age of eight and his immeasurable talent, but he was far from it. He has the humblest soul. Even though young, his mind was sharp and one might say an ideal candidate for the position of a Kage.

"Oni-chan! When are you going to take me to the park? You tell me every day but you just come home and say 'later Sasuke' all the time. I want to go outside!" whined a black haired boy with chubby cheeks.

Itachi turned to glance at Sasuke and saw him sitting on his butt indignantly with his hands folded on his chest. Sasuke's childish demands made him smile as he always wished for his little brother to have a normal childhood. But his hopes seemed to be diminishing considering the course of action he might have to take in the coming years. It made him frown a bit, but he schooled his facial features.

"Sasuke. You sure are excited today." Itachi said with a small smile. Sasuke just grinned more making his brother sigh.

"Come on, get ready. I will take you to park. And be quiet about it alright. You know father doesn't like us to associate with people outside our clan much."

"Yes oni-chan!" Sasuke then quickly left the room to get ready.

Sasuke soon met up with Itachi near the front gates of the Uchiha compound and he held his brother's hand as they both left towards a nearby park.

As they were walking outside, Itachi noticed how it was very cloudy today, with a slight tint of orange. It was an odd weather for Fire Nation. It was usually sunny.

* * *

 _Today will be the day, two lost brothers shall meet each other again for the first time and commence their tumultuous journey._

* * *

 _With Naruto and Tsunade_

 _Demon, Monster, Inhuman creature._ These were some of the whispers that were coming out of the civilian's lips as the Senju Clan Head, Tsunade Senju and clan heir, Naruto Senju passed through the crowded streets of Konoha.

"Look at that child. Walking beside Tsunade-sama and among us, as if he thinks he can ever be human like us." said one of the shop keepers who was standing outside in a low voice dripping with hatred.

"I know. I don't know why Sandaime-sama and Tsunade-sama can't see that the beast is just waiting to strike again." Said a lady standing nearby.

Several such things were being said as the mother and son walked through the streets. Some were openly glaring at the innocent three year old child while others seemed to not care that he's there.

Tsunade felt her hand being gripped tightly and noticed that it was Naruto. She saw the pain in those eyes for a moment and it hurt her knowing how much her son is suffering.

"Naru-chan?" Tsunade asked him in a soft voice.

"Yes kaa-chan?" his voice seemed to tremble a bit.

"Remember what I said? You're my strong boy yeah?" He nodded.

"Then don't listen to the bad things others say about you okay? These people's opinion does not matter. Only those who are close to you, theirs do. You understand what I'm trying to say?" Tsunade asked looking softly at her son.

"uh-hu. I understand." Naruto said in a small voice. He seemed to pause a bit before speaking again, then looked at his mother and said, "You consider me your precious person don't you kaa-chan?"

"Of course, my baby. You are the most precious thing to me in the entire world." She said with a happy smile on her face. Naruto beamed with happiness on hearing that and his mood instantly became a lot better.

The mother and son duo soon walked out of the crowded streets ignoring all the obscenities thrown towards Naruto and made their way towards the park.

* * *

"Oni-chan! We have been walking for so long. Can you carry me on your back?" Sasuke asked looking at Itachi.

"Sasuke, it's not too far now. There will be many children in the park we are going to. You can walk a bit, longer can't you?" Itachi asked with a straight face.

"Nuh-uh! You have to carry me! All brothers do that. Please…?" Itachi felt his resolve weaken seeing his little brother's pleading face and gave in. He kneeled on the ground and asked Sasuke to get on his back. He gently picked him up making sure to keep a firm grip. Sasuke put his arms around his brother's neck and hugged him from behind. He felt extremely happy being close to Itachi and the fact that his brother was spending time with him.

"Arigato Oni-chan! You are the best." Exclaimed Sasuke.

"So, Sasuke, do you want to become a shinobi?"

"Yes. I want to become the strongest Uchiha to ever live there was!" proudly said Sasuke.

"Strongest huh? You will have to train and work hard a lot you know?" Itachi said with a small smirk.

"Of course, I will. I will train hard and soon surpass you also. You just wait and watch." Sasuke said with determination.

Itachi heard the determination in his little brother's voice and smiled. He couldn't help but believe in what he said. 'Maybe Sasuke could be the one to change the Uchiha. Our clan has lived in darkness for long enough. I will make sure you're strong enough Sasuke, for the upcoming battles you will inevitably face." Thought Itachi with a frown at the end.

* * *

Naruto and Tsunade soon reached a park, which was near the Hokage Monument. Naruto was still holding his mother's hand when they entered the grassy field which was rooting many trees. He looked towards the Hokage Monument and saw the faces of the four Hokages. He stopped his gaze, seeing the face of Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze. Naruto, had been told a lot about the Yondaime, by his oji-san, Jiraiya. He didn't know why, but he felt feeling of familiarity staring at Yondaime's head.

Tsunade saw how Naruto was staring at the Hokage Monument so intently. She followed his gaze and saw him staring at the head sculpture of Yondaime Hokage. She felt her skip a bit, as she saw the look on her son's face. It was one of serene calmness.

"Naru-chan?" Tsunade called to him.

"Yes kaa-chan?"

"Is everything alright? We are at the park already. You should go play with the other kids. I will be sitting in that seat nearby okay?" Tsunade said pointing to a seat at the side, where several other women were sitting and chatting.

"Okay Kaa-chan. You wouldn't go anywhere else would you?" He asked a bit shyly.

"Shhh… now. Remember what I told you? You are a strong boy. Plus, do you really think I can leave someone as precious as you here alone?" Tsunade said smiling sweetly.

Naruto gave a bright smile on hearing that immediately ran off towards the children playing in near the swings and sandbox. Tsunade seeing her son go, went towards the other woman who were sitting on the seat.

As Naruto reached towards the other children, he saw several of them who looked like they were his age. There was a feral looking boy with brown hair and two pointed red stripes on each cheek. A pineapple shaped black hair boy, who was lazing around by just lying on the grass. There was a blonde-haired girl in the sand box, although her hair had lighter shade. She was sitting with a girl who had one of the oddest hair colors he has ever seen in his short life yet. It was pink. Another thing he noticed about her was her huge forehead. He giggled a bit seeing her, but covered his mouth with his hand so others wouldn't hear him. He also noticed that there many other children, just running around and playing a sort of a game.

He approached the brown haired boy who was sitting with the lazy looking one.

"Hello! My name is Senju Naruto. What is your name?" jovially said Naruto.

"Kiba Inuzuka. I'm from the Inuzuka clan." The Kiba said proudly with his thumb towards himself. "Do you want to play with us?" he asked again.

"Yes! Of course, I would love to. By the way, what is his name?" Naruto said pointing towards the lazy boy. "Is he sleeping now? I don't want to disturb him, if he's asleep." Naruto said softly.

"Oh him. No. He's not. He's just very lazy all the time." He said with a laugh, then went and shook Shikamaru from his dazed state. The lazy boy yawned once, and muttered something incomprehensible under his breath which Naruto didn't quite get, but did giggle a bit seeing his facial expression.

"Hi. I'm Shikamaru Nara, from the Nara Clan." The boy said with a yawn. He extended his hand towards Naruto, which Naruto shook with a bright smile on his face.

"Hello Shikamaru! I'm Senju Naruto. It's nice to meet you. Do you want to play something?" Naruto said.

"Yeah, sure. Let's call Ino and Sakura, then we can all play together." Kiba said, as he was pointing his fingers towards the two girls sitting and playing inside the sandbox.

"Alright sure!" Naruto was very happy that he got some people who were willing to play with him, and didn't say any bad things about him like some of the people in the village.

"OYE Ino, Sakura! Come over here. We got a new friend over here! We can play something together." Kiba shouted on top his voice.

"Geez Kiba. Would you calm down please? I can clearly hear you from here." Ino said.

Ino gestured Sakura to come along with her, where all the boys were standing. Sakura was shy if she meets someone for the first time. She is from a civilian family. Although her father did serve as a ninja during the Third Great Shinobi War.

Ino and Sakura walked to where the boys were standing. Ino noticed Naruto who was standing and personally she found him to be attractive with his spiky blonde hair. She was about to extend her hand to say hello to Naruto when Sakura screamed with anger, "Demon, it's the Demon boy who killed so many civilians during the attack four years ago. My mother told me to stay away from him." As soon as those words left Sakura's mouth everyone was now staring at Naruto with dumbfound expression, while Naruto just knelt and started crying.

 _With Tsunade and the other women_

Tsunade went and sat with the other women, Tsume and Yoshina, who were Kiba's and Shikamaru's mother respectively. They were a bit startled to see Tsunade here, but greeted her nonetheless. She sat down with them and started talking about their children, their life and day to day chores. Both Tsume and Yoshina knew Naruto was the son of Yondaime Hokage. They of course were surprised to see how Naruto looked right now. With his jaw length hair, and the way it spiked in certain areas, he sure looked a lot like his old man.

All the three women were talking calmly, when they heard a shout which brought a feeling of dread in Tsunade's heart.

"Demon, it's the Demon boy, who killed so many civilians during the attack four years ago. My mother told me to stay away from him." She heard a girl scream.

She immediately ran to Naruto's side and saw him clutching to his knees and sniffling slowly in his hands. It broke her heart to see her baby boy in such condition. She also noticed a couple of ANBU coming and apprehending the now scared girl who screamed that obscenity. Tsunade glared at the pink haired girl heatedly who screamed such an awful thing to her son and felt anger rising towards her parents. Tsume and Yoshino came by the children's side and took them away to explain things to them. One of the ANBU she noticed was wearing a dog mask and she approached him.

"Dog, I don't believe it's her fault entirely. Get her parents to Interrogation and Torture department and have Ibiki question them." She said sternly.

"Hai Tsunade-sama". Dog said as he took hold of the girl's arms and vanished in a swirl of leaves. She couldn't help but notice the apprehensive look on her face when the shinobi took her away. Although, personally that girl deserved it in her opinion.

* * *

She carefully went and sat down in front of Naruto, who was still crying. 'I should have seen this coming. What was I thinking of being hopeful that, these damn civilians won't pass on their idiotic ideology to their children. Damn it.' Tsunade thought with frustration. She approached her son and quickly embraced him in a tight hug. She felt him stiffen slightly and then he relaxed in her presence. She started stroking his hair gently and whispered softly, "I'm sorry Naru-chan. I'm so sorry. You shouldn't have heard that awful thing from the girl."

Naruto continued to sniffle a bit, but he felt better now, that his mother was close to him. He always felt so much at ease when she hugs him and strokes his hair. He put his small hands across his mother and gave her a tight hug in return, burying his head in her neck.

"Why kaa-chan? Why do they call me such bad names? Did I do something bad to them? Tell me please. It hurts."

"Shhh… It's alright Naru. Don't worry about them. I'm here with you. I will keep you safe okay?" Tsunade said as she cupped his cheeks made him look at her. She could see his eyes had become red and puffy. She put his head back down and started stroking his back gently. It hurt her, knowing that her son cried for a reason that was out of his control. She cursed the person, who let his jinchuriki status out. 'I will need to have a talk with Sarutobi-sensei regarding this. There weren't many people who were aware of Naruto being the jinchuriki of Kyubi and Sanbi. The person will pay. Whoever is the cause for my son's suffering.' She promised herself.

She noticed that Naruto's body went limp in her arms and realized he must have fallen asleep. She scooped him up in his arms and laid his head on her lap, so he could sleep comfortably.

Unknown to the people who were involved in the incident that took place a while back, both Itachi and Sasuke had witnessed that entire thing. Itachi felt a bit of sympathy for the blonde boy, scorned for reasons not in his control. Itachi felt, Naruto should be raised as a hero in the village. So young, yet protecting everyone in Konoha against the wrath of powerful bijuus like Kyubi No Yoko and the Sanbi. He turned to his brother to see he was intently staring at Naruto. Sasuke had been quiet during the entire ordeal. His young mind didn't know what to think. Here, a boy almost the same age as he was being called a demon and he did not know the reason why. But, looking at the blonde, Sasuke felt a certain connection. He couldn't explain it.

He slowly started moving toward the position where Naruto was peacefully sleeping in his mother's arms. Itachi watched as his brother walked towards the Sannin woman. 'In a way, both have hindrances which will make it hard for them to make friends. One because he is hated by the village for container status and the other because, his clan considers other people beneath them and forbids from associating with lesser people. So alike, yet so different.' Thought Itachi with a thoughtful expression on his young face.

Tsunade didn't know how much time passed, since she was sitting here with Naruto sleeping in her arms. 'He looks so calm and peaceful when he's asleep. Don't worry Naru-chan. Your kaa-chan will protect you, until you can do so yourself. And even after that, I will always stand by your side. I just wish, the people of this village saw you for who you truly are. It hurts me too Naru, seeing you in so much pain at this young an age.' She thought.

Suddenly she felt two presences behind her. One familiar and one not. She turned behind her and came face to face with a young boy. He looked almost the same age as Naruto. He had black hair and coal black eyes. 'Uchiha.' She thought.

"Is he okay?" Sasuke asked with a sad voice.

Tsunade was a bit surprised hearing that question. She didn't expect an Uchiha to come an ask about the welfare of her son. "He's asleep right now. It's best to let him rest." She said softly, so as not wake Naruto up.

"It's bad… what that girl said. I didn't like it. She must be very mean to say such things. Why would she say such bad things about him?" He replied.

'What is with this boy?' Tsunade thought surprised. "I don't know child. Some people, they just don't understand… Naruto. My son's name is Senju Naruto." She said in a tired voice.

"Can I sit beside him? I want to be there when he wakes up. I don't have many friends you know. Maybe… Naruto and I could become good friends."

Once again, a child, an Uchiha nonetheless was willing to become friends with her son. She felt a bit conflicted initially, not trusting another person right after what happened, especially an Uchiha. But the look in the child's eyes showed nothing but concern. She eventually nodded to him and Sasuke came and sat beside Naruto.

Itachi who was watching the interaction between Tsunade and Sasuke from a distance himself was surprised by his little brother's actions. He had never seen such a caring side of Sasuke. 'Maybe. Just maybe… The Uchiha clan still has hope in the form of Sasuke.' He thought.

"I know you're there Itachi. You might as well come out here." Tsunade said.

Itachi felt a bit ashamed being caught like this, but came out of the trees and went towards the Sannin. He bowed in front of her and said politely, "Greetings Tsunade-sama. I apologize on my brother's and my behalf for intruding you and Naruto at such a time. I hope you do not mind."

"It's no problem Itachi-kun. So, he's your brother huh? I'm glad he's willing to sit beside Naruto and befriend him." She said with a small smile. Itachi could see, she was tired looking at her face, but he chose not to comment on that matter.

"What is his name Itachi-kun?" she asked.

"Sasuke Uchiha. Our father chose to name him after Sandaime-sama's father." Itachi replied. Tsunade looked towards Sasuke and saw him gazing at Naruto's face intently.

Tsunade felt Naruto move in her arms and she looked down to see him waking up. Naruto moved his hands to his face, and started rubbing his eyes with his little fingers to remove the excess sleep.

Soon, Naruto opened his violet eyes and his gaze was met with coal black eyes. He sat up from his mother's lap and just stared at the boy in front of him. Both Tsunade and Itachi chose not to say anything and just observe how things went.

For a reason, unknown to Naruto, he moved his right hand towards the boy in front of him and said, "Hello, I'm Senju Naruto."

Sasuke placed his own left hand in Naruto's right and said with a big smile, "I'm Uchiha Sasuke."

* * *

 _Thus, began the story of two lost brothers, who share a bond which is centuries old. The story of Sasuke and Naruto._

* * *

 **Okay. So, that's the end of chapter 5. The next chapter will be coming on January 7, 2017.**

 **I hope everybody had a good Christmas and wish all the people a very Happy New Year in advance.**

 **The small flashback in the beginning of this chapter is similar to another one found in 'Naruto: Advent of Flash' written by narutoxsharinganxenthusiast. I have spoken to the author regarding the matter, and the author had no issue of me taking a little idea from his story.**

 **The next chapter will definitely talk about the start of Naruto's and Sasuke's training in the shinobi field. Naruto will also be meeting Hinata and the Hyuuga Clan for the first time. And, of course, interaction between Naruto and his best friend Sasuke.**

 **Please do Follow, Favorite and Review the story. I would really appreciate some new ideas for the story.**

 **Until next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author Notes- Hello fellow readers! Well I chapter 5 and 6 have been updated slightly late. I apologize again for that. Just been really busy past few days. I will make sure to post the coming chapters timely from now on.**

 **So, this chapter talks about Naruto's and Sasuke's interaction, their start of training and Naruto's dream for the future. I have been taking things slow as of yet with regards to Naruto's interaction to other kids his age. But, I just wanted to develop his character slightly and make him slightly more understanding of matters before he starts to interact with other people his age. Naruto and Hinata will meet for the first time in this chapter and their story will slowly develop from here on now. Sasuke will only be acting his natural self when he's with Naruto. With other kids, he will be a bit arrogant. But he too will slowly develop from his happy nature to a slightly darker one as he notices the subtle changes within the Uchiha Clan. Itachi's role in Naruto's life will be an important one. That will be shown in the coming chapters.**

 **[Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.]**

 _ **Anyway lets continue with the story**_

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Dreams and Revelations**

* * *

 _ **Time skip: One year and Four Months**_

 _Brothers…_

 _Senju Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke_

That's how they felt when the two were with each other.

The two young boys met almost every day and spent their time either sitting under the shade of a tree or sitting near a lake, skipping stones.

Tsunade and Itachi too were slightly surprised at how close the young kids had gotten to each other.

It wasn't hard for Sasuke to notice how the villagers treated Naruto, and it infuriated him because he didn't know why. So, he did what he could to protect his best friend. He glared right back at them. Although Naruto ignored the behavior the villagers shown towards him to the best of his ability now, somewhere in his heart he still wished if they could stop.

Today, the two young boys were sitting on top of the Yondaime Hokage's head. Naruto couldn't explain it why, but he felt at peace sitting in this place.

Naruto exhaled a deep sigh as he opened his eyes and stared at the red and orange glow of the sky. He looked to his right and saw that Sasuke was lying down with his hands behind his head and eyes closed. But he knew, Sasuke was still awake. He could sense another presence close by but knew the person had no ill intentions towards him or Sasuke. 'Probably one of those ANBU who always trails me when I'm within the village.'

He got up from his position and went to the edge and sat down. From there, he had the view of the entire village.

Kakashi Hatake, the last surviving student of Yondaime Hokage, who was also an ANBU agent was a few meters away on a tree keeping guard on them, especially Naruto. He never tried making any contact with the boy. He knew Naruto was the son of Yondaime Hokage, his late sensei. The death of his father, Sakumo Hatake hit him hard and his life had become a mess at that point. It was Minato who looked after him and helped him with his problems and taught him the ways of a shinobi. So, when he was informed by the Sandaime that his sensei and father-figure had died in battle, he was devastated. He did not hate the blonde boy at all. Far from it. He was among the first ones to know that Minato and Kushina were expecting a child and was ecstatic on the prospect of meeting someone he could call his brother. It's just whenever he looked at Naruto, he saw his sensei's face in him and was reminded of the times he spent with him, and he couldn't bring himself to talk to the little blond.

He was broken out of his thoughts when he heard Naruto speak.

"Sasuke?" Naruto called out, still looking at the sky.

The boy in question was now sitting beside his friend who had woken up the moment Naruto left his earlier position. Sasuke saw a thoughtful look on Naruto's face and answered, "Hmm? What is it?"

"Why do you want to become a shinobi?"

He quirked an eyebrow upon hearing the question, but answered nonetheless. "To become strong. To become the strongest Uchiha there is, to ever live."

Naruto glanced towards Sasuke once and saw the look in his eyes. It was filled with determination and confidence. It made him believe his friend could achieve his goal in the long run.

"What about you Naruto? Do you want to become the strongest shinobi in your clan?" asked Sasuke.

Naruto thought over it. He knew there were several amazingly strong shinobi in his clan and two of those were the first two Hokage of the village. As well, his mother, Senju Tsunade is regarded as one of the strongest shinobi in the elemental nations. He looked towards the sky again and saw how majestic it looked in its evening color.

"I want to become Hokage someday." He answered confidently.

Sasuke widened his eyes upon hearing that and looked towards Naruto. He then smiled a bit upon hearing that. 'Hn. Only he can think of such big dreams.' Sasuke thought.

"I don't know why they hate me, Sasuke. But I want to show them that I'm not a bad person. So, someday when I become Hokage, they will all acknowledge me. I will surpass the Yondaime one day. He is regarded as the strongest and the greatest of all the Hokage." Naruto said looking at Sasuke.

Sasuke obviously knew the tales of the Yondaime Hokage. His brother, Itachi, had told him a lot about the man. So, to think his friend wanted to surpass the strongest of all Hokage was a bit surprising for him. He saw Naruto stand up and look down at the village.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Naruto asked in a small whisper.

Sasuke followed the blonde's gaze and indeed had to agree the village looked beautiful under the red and orange glow of the evening sky.

"The village looks so peaceful now. I want to protect this. I can sense how happy the village is at the moment. I want to do everything in my power to keep our village like this. The people of this village may not like me now, but this is still my home and the place where I was born. That is why I will be Hokage, to keep this village safe. I will train hard and become strong. No matter what happens, I will protect this village from anyone who tries to harm it. Then people will acknowledge me as Senju Naruto. People will start looking at me like someone… someone important." Spoke a highly passionate Naruto.

Sasuke didn't know what to say. He had never heard anyone say such a thing. His father always taught him that the Uchiha were above everyone else and that the village should work with them as their leader.

"I don't know about the village, Naruto. But I will always be there for you. No matter what happens, I will be there to protect you. You are younger than me, so it is my duty to protect my little brother. I will help you become stronger." Sasuke said the last part in a bare whisper looking down at the village. Naruto became a bit flustered upon hearing Sasuke call him his little brother, but maintained his calm persona.

'Kaa-chan and Jiraiya oji-chan did tell me that I should remain calm in all circumstances.' Naruto thought.

Kakashi, who was watching them from a distance away widened his eyes upon hearing Naruto proclaiming his dream. Kakashi couldn't see his face since he was facing Naruto's back but he was sure the expression on the blonde's face would be one to remember. 'Sensei…' That one word was the only thing that he could think of right now. 'If only you here to see your son… Minato-sensei. I am sure you would be proud of the way he's growing up.' Kakashi thought with one of his eye smiles. He saw Naruto and Sasuke leave the Hokage Monument and make their way towards each other's home.

After some time, Kakashi came out of the trees once he was sure the two boys were gone. He stood at the same spot Naruto was standing a few minutes ago and looked down at the village. He just stared at the village for a few seconds and then looked towards the setting sun. He closed his eyes and thought, 'Maybe… Maybe I could help Naruto with his dream Minato-sensei. I will help him in any way I can. I know you would have wanted me to.' Kakashi thought to himself as he opened his eyes. 'After all, he's the only family I have remaining.' And with that thought, Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

* * *

 _A few minutes earlier at the Senju Compound_

The Senju Compound was among the first compounds to be built, along with the Uchiha and the Hyuuga, when the village was first formed. During those times, the Senju Clan was vast and had several hundred members. Thus, to suit everyone's needs, Hashirama had built a large compound with several houses within. In the middle of the compound was the largest house, which belonged to the clan head.

Tsunade, Naruto and Shizune lived in the clan head's house as Tsunade and Naruto were the last living Senju in the elemental nations. Shizune, who was the niece of Dan Kato, Tsunade's former lover, had no other family left after her uncle had died fighting in the Second Shinobi War. Hence, Shizune had been staying with Tsunade ever since.

Tsunade was sitting in the living room, going through one of her medical books while Shizune was out in the gardens watering the plants. It was a pretty normal day at the Senju Compound.

While the Senju woman was going through her books, she felt someone enter through the window in the living room and sit beside her. She didn't need to look at the person to know who it was. Years of witnessing him doing similar things and not using the door to enter a room like any normal human had made her familiar to the person and his presence.

"What do you want Jiraiya?" Tsunade asked without looking away from her book.

"Oh, you hurt me hime. No hello or any greetings for me?" said the white haired Sannin with a wide grin on his face.

She eventually looked at him and said, "You will get a proper greeting when you enter the house properly. Until then, no. So again, why are you here Jiraiya? You usually come on days when Naru-chan learns fuinjutsu from you. Today is certainly not that day."

She saw his face become serious and grew a bit concerned. She knew Jiraiya only became serious when the matter was of grave importance. Somehow she knew, this matter related her son and it wasn't anything good.

"Alright hime, all joking aside, you're right. There's a reason I'm here today." Jiraiya spoke, leaving all humor aside.

Tsunade immediately straightened up and began to listen to what Jiraiya had to say intently.

"You might remember, a few years back I told you about a mercenary group made of several missing ninjas. I had my spy network keep their ears open and listen to any news that might travel regarding that group and information about other shinobi villages. One report I received recently is concerning Naruto. It's not good." He said with a grim expression. Jiraiya had decided it was best not to tell Tsunade about the missing ninjas being S-Rank at that time, since she had just agreed to take care of Naruto and hearing about such a disturbing group might have increased her worries as a mother.

Tsunade nodded but did frown upon hearing the last part.

"It's not an easy task for a village to maintain its military strength after getting attacked by two bijuu and their strongest shinobi dying in the line of duty. Currently, several of the other villages are observing us carefully, especially our military, to see how badly we were hurt. I would say Iwagakure rejoiced upon hearing the news of Minato's death. Also, Iwa is one of the main villages which is currently keeping an eye on us. That old fence sitter, Onohki, was always a cunning and a hot-headed man. Kumogakure's Sandaime Raikage died a couple years back as you know and A was selected as the Yondaime Raikage. Although I doubt Kumo would do something drastic as of this moment, since A and Minato had a friendly relationship and rivalry between each other. But still, we can't rule them out yet. Kirigakure No Sato has been staying neutral towards any village for the time being, so it's hard to device their motives." Jiraiya informed to which Tsunade nodded for him to continue.

"Thankfully, Sarutobi-sensei has been keeping other villages in the dark about how badly the village was actually hurt. As far as the other villages are concerned, Konoha still stands strong. Plus, the alliance which Konoha gained three years back with Sunagakure No Sato, is also another thing which would make them hesitant to take any measures. So, I don't believe that they will try to attack the village. Also, word has spread around different villages that there's a Senju heir in Konoha and that you are the mother Tsunade. But as of yet, no one knows that Naruto's the jinchuriki for the Kyubi and the Sanbi. Some of the minor villages were indifferent to the news while some such as Kumogakure and Iwagakure were not happy regarding the news. Although, they haven't taken any steps regarding this matter, we will still have to be careful." He said to which Tsunade was in complete agreement.

"Now, what new do you have concerning Naruto?" Tsunade asked with worry present in her voice.

Just then Shizune entered the room and saw Jiraiya sitting on a couch along with Tsunade who had a worried expression on her face. Upon the question about the reasons for her worry, Jiraiya explained it to her teammate's apprentice briefly about what he had told Tsunade up till now.

"The mercenary group are keeping low profile currently to not attract too much attention and are highly secretive. From what my informants told me and from what I gathered from people travelling around the elemental nations in the last few years, they will be big trouble in the future."

"What do you mean by that Jiraiya-sama?" asked Shizune.

"All the members of the group are S Class criminals. This is also the group which concerns me the most as they are after people like Naruto." Replied Jiraiya.

This shocked both the women sitting in the room. S-Class was given to shinobi of the highest caliber. These types of ninjas could take out an entire army by themselves and still not be wounded. Only a handful of shinobi were ever granted double S Class status due to their impeccable battle prowess. Those being Tsunade's grandfather and Naruto's great grandfather Hashirama Senju, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the legend of the Uchiha Clan- Madara Uchiha and Naruto's father Namikaze Minato.

It made Tsunade extremely worried since shinobi of such caliber rarely ever try to work together. The only way they would ever work together would be if they were being led by someone who was even stronger than them and able to defeat them simultaneously. It worried her because shinobi of such battle prowess would have to be extremely powerful. She then suddenly registered the last part which Jiraiya said.

"What do you mean people like Naruto?" It was Shizune who blurted out the question before Tsunade could even ask. She had a bit of suspicion but she hoped what she was thinking was wrong.

Jiraiya looked at Shizune and could understand her dilemma. "It's exactly what I mean Shizune. I don't know their exact plans are, but from what my sources tell me, they are after jinchuriki. More preciously, they are after the bijuu inside them." Jiraiya answered shocking both the women.

"A... a... are you certain Jiraiya"? asked a worried Tsunade to which the sage nodded.

"Does this group have a name Jiraiya-sama?" asked Shizune.

"Yes. They call themselves Akatsuki. They wear high collared black cloaks with red clouds on them. The members of this group usually travel in pairs. From what I have gathered, these people won't make any real move towards any of the jinchuriki for a while. This type of plan requires a lot of strategy and funding. Also, they don't know who the jinchuriki for the Kyubi and Sanbi is. I don't think anyone has ever been made into a jinchuriki for two bijuu before. It was only due to Naruto's strong life force that the sealing of two bijuu was even possible. Sensei is keeping a tight lip to the people outside the village about Naruto. Although, I can't say the same about the villagers." Jiraiya grumbled the last part, showing his utter dissatisfaction towards the actions shown by the people of Konoha.

Jiraiya straightened himself and looked straight into Tsunade's eyes. "Tsunade, listen to what I have to say carefully now, okay?"

Tsunade was a bit surprised upon hearing it, but nodded her head.

"Naruto… He is not a normal child. He has blood of among the strongest shinobi running through his veins. Now, I may not know about biology much, but I believe when you used to breastfeed him, the milk he drank contained your dormant DNA too. So, it is possible to say he also has your DNA, but it will remain dormant in him unless he works on his physical prowess. He is bound to become a shinobi of great battle prowess. Believe me when I say this, he can surpass all the previous Hokage Konohagakure No Sato has seen. I'm not only saying this because he's my godson and your son now. But…"

"But what Jiraiya? Get out with it already." She was getting frustrated now. Tsunade was never known for her patience.

"Do you remember the night Fukasaku-sensei came and asked me to come with him to Mount Myoboku? Tsunade nodded.

All the while Shizune just kept quiet and listened to the Sannin talk. She herself was worried about Naruto. Ever since the blond boy could talk, he had started to call her 'Shizune nee-chan'. She felt horrible about just thinking of the dangers he might face when he grows up.

"That night I was summoned by the Grand Elder Toad. Years back, when I first became their summoner they told me about a prophecy. A prophecy about a child, who shall rise in the time of darkness and become the savior of this world. He told me that night, Naruto was the child. He will be the one to become the light that shall eradicate all darkness that lingers in the elemental nations." Jiraiya said slowly.

Both Tsunade's and Shizune's eyes widened upon hearing that. 'Naru-chan? The Child of Prophecy?' Tsunade thought.

"Ji... ra… Jiraiya? What are you saying? He's just a child for god's sake!" shouted Tsunade as she stood up from her sitting position and started leaking her killing intent unconsciously.

"Clam down Tsunade. I know what I'm saying. I don't want to burden Naruto with anything. I love him just as much as you do. But we must face the facts now. He won't have a normal life. The moment he was made into a jinchuriki, his normal life had ended. With groups like Akatsuki behind him, he won't have time to slack off. He will need to be as strong as possible. We both are strong, Tsunade. But none of us can handle more than two S-Class criminals on our own. They will eventually come to know Naruto is the jinchuriki for the Kyubi and the Sanbi, and when they do, we should assume they will come to get him with full force. So, it will be better for us as well as for Naruto, if he will be prepared to face them." Jiraiya said sternly, while also releasing his own killing intent to match Tsunade's.

It seemed to calm Tsunade down as her facial features relaxed a bit and sat down on her seat. She understood the meaning of Jiraiya's words. She knew what he said was true. While she herself was a powerful shinobi, even she would have trouble going up against more than two S-Class criminals.

"Now that you know what I'm saying clearly, you also know we don't have a choice. We will have to increase Naruto's training. He has way too much chakra for a five-year old kid, he has as much chakra as an Elite Jounin. For the past year, he has only been doing physical exercises, fuinjutsu studies and chakra control. The kid is a genius in fuinjutsu. He's just like his father in that department." Jiraiya said with a wide smile on his after the heated discussion that took place.

Hearing about her son's progress in fuinjutsu made Tsunade extremely happy.

"He's my son after all. He's bound to be good in everything!" Tsunade said proudly. Shizune too smiled upon her master say that.

"Tsunade, I will take care of Naruto's ninjutsu and fuinjutsu. I know you want to teach him medical ninjutsu. That's okay. If he becomes capable of doing medical ninjutsu, his chakra control would be almost perfect then. That will just make his ninjutsu much stronger." Jiraiya explained. Both Tsunade and Shizune understood where the white-haired man was going and nodded.

"Don't worry. I will take care of his physical health, chakra control and medical ninjutsu." Tsunade said.

"Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked a bit shyly.

"If you don't mind, I would also like to help Naruto-kun. I may not be as good you or Jiraiya-sama, but I would like to teach him what I know."

Tsunade looked at her apprentice, confused, and said "Shizune, must you ask for that? Naru-chan considers you as his elder sister. Of course, it won't be a problem."

Before Shizune could thank her master, all the people sitting in the living room heard a very familiar voice.

"Kaa-chan! Kaa-chan! Where are you?" asked Naruto as he was running through the house.

Tsunade had to smile a bit upon hearing her son's voice. It always brought joy to her.

"Naru-chan, I'm in the living room. Come over here." She spoke loudly, to make herself audible to Naruto.

Naruto, hearing his mother's voice, ran as fast as he could and entered the living room. He quickly went to his mother and gave her a tight hug.

"Oh? Looks like my little Naru-chan missed me a lot today huh?" Tsunade asked playfully.

"Uh-Huh. Sasuke and I were sitting on top of Yondaime's head today the whole day. And when the sun was setting, I could see the entire village from the edge. It looked so beautiful Kaa-chan!" exclaimed the excited blonde.

Jiraiya stood behind Naruto and ruffled his hair. "That's good to hear kid."

"Oji-chan! How come you are here today? Are we learning fuinjutsu today also?" Naruto asked.

"No. Not today kid. Today, your mother and I have something important to tell you. So, sit down now."

Naruto did as he was told and sat down on the couch beside his mother.

"Naru-chan. We are going to start training you in the different arts of shinobi starting from tomorrow okay? So, today you take rest and from tomorrow we will start training you seriously, okay?"

Naruto became very excited upon and a huge smile found its way to his face. "Now I can become stronger and be Hokage someday!" he stated happily.

Tsunade just froze upon hearing those words coming out of her son's mouth and stared at him.

"What did you say Naru-chan?" she asked him again just to make sure what she heard was correct. Jiraiya too was staring at Naruto and waiting to see what the kid would reply.

Naruto felt a bit awkward being put into the spotlight like this. He saw his Kaa-chan, oji-chan and nee-chan all staring at him and waiting for him to reply.

He calmed his nerves looking straight at his mother and said, "I want to be Hokage someday Kaa-chan. So, someday the people of this village will acknowledge me and notice that I'm not a bad person and start seeing me as someone important. I will surpass all the previous Hokage, especially the Yondaime, and show everyone that I'm Senju Naruto! I will protect the village with everything I have just like the Yondaime. To be Hokage, that is my dream!"

Tsunade did not know what to say. Those words. Those exact same words. She had heard that so many times. And every time, the person was taken away from her, as if life was playing a cruel joke on her. Suddenly she saw a faint image of her grandfather Hashirama standing to Naruto's left with one hand on his left shoulder, Dan and Nawaki standing on his right with each of their hand on his right shoulder and finally Minato, with his right hand on his son's hair. All of them had smiles on their faces and they nodded their heads. She blinked her eyes, wondering if she was hallucinating. The next moment, they were gone.

She saw Jiraiya kneeling in front of Naruto to his eye level and both his hands firmly on Naruto's shoulder.

"I believe in you Naruto. That is a very noble dream. Your mother, Shizune and I shall help you all the way, until the time you become the strongest shinobi to ever live in the elemental nations. And if you work hard enough, you can make all your dreams come true." Jiraiya spoke softly, looking at his godson with a smile.

'Maybe… I could trust in someone else again with that dream. I believe in you too, my little Naru-chan.' Thought Tsunade. She wiped away the single lone tear that rolled down her left eye, unnoticed by anyone else and looked her son.

"Come on now, Naru-chan, time for your dinner. And this time you're eating your vegetables without making any fuss. Or else no ramen for you, for a week!" stated Tsunade in a dangerous voice.

'No Ramen… No Ramen…. NO RAMEN?! No, that's not good'. Naruto thought as he heard his mother say those awful words.

"Kaa-chan! You can't do this! Ramen is the food of gods! You know how much I love it." Whined Naruto as he just sat down on the ground with a thud.

Jiraiya, who had now moved to the side laughed a bit upon seeing the interaction between Naruto and Tsunade. He smiled seeing how his godson could be so mature at one second and act his age the next.

"Do not take that tone with me young man. I can and I will ban you from ramen if you don't your vegetables this time." She stated.

Naruto just huffed and looked away from his mother pouting and grumbling something about 'un-cool mothers'. Shizune had to cover her mouth upon her master being referred to as un-cool.

Tsunade heard what he said but just ignored it. She took a softer tone and said, "Naru, you know you have to eat healthy food. It will make you strong. I don't tell you not to eat ramen, do I? I'm just saying also eat healthy food along with it okay? I wouldn't want anything for you, you know that yeah?"

Naruto looked at his mother and nodded slowly as he understood what she was trying to say.

"Shizune, would you take Naru-chan to the kitchen and prepare him some dinner? Then put him to bed alright? I will see Jiraiya off and then come." Tsunade asked her apprentice.

"Yes Tsunade-sama." She took Naruto's hand in her own walked out towards the kitchen.

Jiraiya who was quiet up till now walked up to Tsunade and said, "Well hime, I got to leave now. I have to go see Sarutobi-sensei and tell him what I told you and talk to him about a few things. A Kumogakure diplomat will coming to Konoha in a couple of months regarding the treaty offer between our two villages that has been going on for a while now."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow upon hearing that. "Kumo huh? I hope everything goes well." She said.

"Yeah. Well, I will drop by tomorrow to explain further to Naruto about the training he's going to undergo. Ja Ne." Jiraiya said vanished in a swirl of leaves.

"Ah well, I should go check on Naru-chan." Tsunade said to herself and left towards the kitchen.

* * *

 _The Next Day_

It was early in the morning when the morning's first sunrays hit the village of Konohagakure No Sato. It was certainly a sight to behold. The village hidden in the Leaves was not only regarded as the strongest of all five villages, but also the most beautiful among them. It was the month of November and there was a slight snowfall within the village.

For a visiting civilian or a shinobi, this would be a sight to behold unless they come across an adult and a child wearing green spandex with bowl cut hairstyle and bushy eyebrows yelling about 'Flames of Youth' and being in their 'Springtime of Youth'.

Most of the children within Naruto's age group that belong to the major clans of Konoha are now between the ages of four years eight months and five years three months. In the past few years, a sort of temporary peace has prevailed across the different villages. Due to this, the graduation age of the shinobi academy in Konohagakure has increased from ten to twelve years of age. The major number of shinobi who are above average and useful on a battlefield are normally provided by the clans of the village. Hence, most of the children belonging to major clans begin learning their clan's techniques as well as the theory behind those techniques from a young age.

 _Uchiha Compound_

Sasuke groggily woke up from his sleep and got up to fresh himself. Today was one of the days when Itachi usually spent some time with his little brother, and helped him train in the shinobi arts.

Itachi had started training Sasuke in the shinobi arts at the young age of four. One word to describe Sasuke's talent as a shinobi would be incredible. He had large amounts of chakra for his age, although surprisingly he had an average control of it when he started training in chakra control exercises. He had good analytical skills for someone his age and most of all, had the sense of being calm and to study the opponent during his spars with his elder brother.

Sasuke absolutely adored his nii-san. Itachi was among the few people who liked to spend time with him. His mother and matriarch of the Uchiha Clan, Mikoto Uchiha, was another person whom he loved a lot. She would often spend time with him at home when Itachi and his father were busy.

Then there was his father.

Current Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan, Fugaku Uchiha.

Ever since Sasuke's mind could comprehend things, he saw his father giving most of his time to Itachi, The Prodigy of the Uchiha Clan. Whatever he tried, his father never seemed to give him much time of the day and always said that he should strive to be more like his brother. There were times when Sasuke found himself envying his brother because Itachi had one thing he, himself, always yearned for, his father's praise. A pat on the back saying 'Good job, Sasuke'. But he never complained and never truly seemed to fester any hatred towards his nii-san.

Sasuke dressed up after taking a bath and went downstairs to see his mother and Itachi already sitting on the dining table. He was wearing black shinobi shorts and a high collared dark blue shirt with the Uchiha Clan symbol at the back of his shirt.

"Kaa-san, Nii-san!" Sasuke said happily as he took a seat next to Itachi.

Mikoto smiled looking at her youngest child. She was glad he wasn't born during the age of war and did not have to grow up and mature as quickly as Itachi had to. 'He still has his innocence.' she thought.

"Sasuke-kun, you got up early today. Will you be going out to train again today?" Mikoto asked as she got up from her seat. She took Itachi's and her plates and headed towards the sink to wash them.

"Yes Kaa-san. I need to go practice my shuriken throwing with nii-san today. I can almost do it perfectly now. I can hit about nine targets out of ten." Said Sasuke.

Itachi felt a bit sad knowing he wouldn't be able to go to training grounds with his brother today. He being the first born put him next in line to be the Clan Head. So, he had to spend a lot of time studying politics and the history of his, as well as other Clans of the village in details. Plus, his training with Shishui was another thing that kept him busy. Almost everyone in the Uchiha Clan believed him to be the genius of the Clan mainly because of the fact because he awakened his sharingan at the age of six. But he knew it was Shishui who deserved all the praise. Half of the things that Itachi knew about being a shinobi, had to be credited to his elder friend, Uchiha Shishui.

Sasuke finished his food soon while Itachi waited for him. The two Uchiha brothers then walked out of the kitchen and found themselves waiting at the main door.

"Nii-san, what else are you going to be teaching me today?" asked Sasuke with a bit of excitement in his voice.

Itachi who was standing a bit away from Sasuke, smiled sadly upon hearing that. He motioned for Sasuke to come to him, who smiled and ran towards his elder brother.

As soon as Sasuke was standing in front of Itachi, he put forward his left hand and poked him on the forehead gently with his index and middle finger. "Forgive me, Sasuke. Maybe tomorrow. I have a busy day today. Why don't you practice everything I have showed you up till now on your own and tomorrow you show them to me, okay?"

Sasuke rubbed his forehead after being poked there and looked down at his feet a bit sadly, but it disappeared as soon as it came, although Itachi could catch a glimpse of that.

"Okay nii-san!" Sasuke said as he ran off towards the area in the forests where he practiced his shuriken and kunai throwing.

As Itachi stepped out of the house, a figure stepped out of the shadows and approached him, "It's time to go Itachi." The person stated. Itachi nodded and both vanished from their spots, leaving no trail of them ever being there.

 _At the Senju Compound_

On the opposite side of the sakura tree, there is a training area in gardens at back of the house where Naruto lives. The blonde boy is currently standing in the middle of training ground with his eyes closed. He was dressed up in a high collared grey t-shirt with the Senju clan symbol on his left and right side of the high collar and black shinobi pants. Around ten or twelve feet away from him, there are five training dummies that are located at an equal distance of four feet from each other.

Naruto takes a deep breath, opens his eyes and immediately takes out five shuriken from his pouch located at the back of his pants and five kunai from the pouch located at the right side of his pants.

The next second, he flicks his wrist with such grace and speed, the shuriken and the kunai flew right towards their target. All the shuriken and kunai were lodged right at the vital points of the training dummies. During the entire process, not a single sound was made. That is how Naruto was taught.

Stealth is among the main aspects of a shinobi. The more attacks you can conjure up without making a sound, the more of a shocker it would be for the opponent.

Jiraiya and Tsunade, standing at the side watching the blonde, smiled upon seeing his progress. Naruto was special indeed. Not just because of his jinchuriki status or whose child he was. Naruto is always eager to learn more. He soaked up everything that was taught to him like a sponge. He may not get all the theories behind certain aspects instantly. but that doesn't mean he gives up. He keeps on trying and re-doing the thing again and again until he gets it right. That is something Jiraiya respected immensely about the boy. The patience and the ability to not give up when you are stuck.

"Look Kaa-chan. I did it! I finally hit all the targets!" exclaimed Naruto happily as he came running towards his mother and the white-haired sage.

Tsunade ruffled his hair once and said "I'm proud of you Naru-chan. The way you are progressing is astonishing."

Naruto smiled wider upon being praised by his mother. Jiraiya patted the kid's back and said, "Ah, the kid gets all the compliments. That was a good job gaki! Even I couldn't hit all the targets at your age."

"Thank you oji-chan! Really? But you are so strong now!" Naruto said.

Jiraiya looked towards Tsunade once. He saw her nod and then sat down on the grass. He then motioned for Naruto to sit down.

"So what are we going to do today, oji-chan? Are you going to teach me some really cool jutsu?" asked the blonde happily.

"No, not today kid. From today, we are going to start training you in all the fields of the shinobi arts. The physical exercises that you have been doing the past year should be more than enough for the taijutsu style your mother has in mind to teach you." Jiraiya said. Naruto nodded as he heard his godfather speak.

Tsunade decided to step in and said, "Naru-chan, Jiraiya is going to be looking after you in ninjutsu and fuinjutsu and with me you will be studying medical ninjutsu, your taijutsu style and chakra control. Shizune will be helping me teach you from time to time. Okay?"

"Really?" Naruto asked, amazed at what all he was going to be learning. In the past year, Naruto had also been made to read several books regarding the different villages, shinobi and the history of elemental nations. He knew his Kaa-chan and Oji-chan were extremely strong ninjas and not many could stand up to them. So, to be taught everything there is in the shinobi field by them was an exciting aspect for Naruto.

Both Tsunade and Jiraiya laughed a bit upon seeing his mouth wide open in amazement and nodded to his question.

"I will train really hard and become a strong shinobi, Kaa-chan and Oji-chan! You will be proud of me that day!" Naruto said proudly.

Tsunade moved closer to Naruto and kissed him on his forehead gently and said, "I'm already proud of my little Naru-chan."

Naruto's face flushed a bit upon being kissed by his mother in front of his oji-chan but did not say anything.

Tsunade did got an evil smile on her face which sent shivers down the spine of Jiraiya and especially Naruto.

"Naru-chan, I think you are ready to go through my special physical training regimen now. Yes… you will do fine." Tsunade said the last part very slowly while rubbing her hands together, almost making her look sadistic.

Jiraiya paled upon hearing that. He knew what she was talking about. He had been one of the people she had tried that special training with when they were young and the sage wanted no part in it. He looked at Naruto and saw the boy giving him a questioning look. 'Oh, I wish the kid survives. Tsunade can be brutal when she wants to be.' He thought.

 _Hours later in the forests surrounding the Uchiha Clan Compound_

Several of the trees around had scratch marks on them, indicating that they were either done by a shuriken or a kunai. Several of them were lying on the forest floor while some were lodged deep into the tree.

Some trees also had intense burn marks on them, showing that a **Katon** jutsu was recently used here. At first glance, one might think it was all the doing of a trained shinobi. But, it was not.

A five-year-old boy with black hair stood at a height of three feet and four inches. He quickly went through hand seals for a jutsu which he had been practicing to improve on for a few months now. He stopped at the tiger seal and molded superheated chakra inside his stomach before releasing it through his lungs and mouth

 **Katon: Gokayaku No Jutsu** (Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu) shouted the boy before releasing a medium sized orb of fire from his mouth, burning several of the trees in its path. Since most of the trees were covered in snow at the time, the impact of the intense hot fire was mostly absorbed by the snow, which made sure the forest did not catch fire.

Sasuke Uchiha smiled upon seeing his work and allowed his body to fall freely on the ground covered in snow and relaxed when his body contacted it. He didn't know how long he had been out there practicing. But, seeing the color of the sky, he guessed it was evening now. He still had a couple of hours before he goes back home, and decided a little nap wouldn't do any harm.

About ten or fifteen minutes later, Itachi came upon a rare site of Sasuke sleeping while having a fond smile on his face. He looked around himself and was amazed. All the marks were perfectly struck with kunai and shuriken and those which failed to stick to the tree were lying on the ground. He looked to the other side and saw the results of Sasuke's **Katon** jutsu. A smile formed on his face as he thought 'you are improving at a phenomenal rate, Sasuke. But you still have years before you can catch up to me. I'm sure the time will come soon when you will surpass me, Sasuke.'

He picked Sasuke's sleeping form and piggy backed him to the Uchiha compound.

* * *

 _ **Two Months Later**_

Sarutobi Hiruzen was sitting in his office at his desk signing away the papers as he does most of the days. The secretary sitting outside often heard random shouts of 'curse this paperwork' and 'I'm getting too old for this shit'. But after working there for so long, she had gotten used to it.

Today is the day the diplomat from Kumogakure was supposed to arrive in Konoha. It was around 8 am in the morning right now. The Sandaime had spent a good time of his night preparing for this meeting. If the meeting with the diplomat went well, Konoha would now have two powerful allies with her. Sunagakure, even though considered to be the weakest among the five great nations, still stands strong and has a lot to offer to Konoha as well as Kumo in form of trade routes, more clients and surplus business opportunities.

As Sarutobi was doing his work, one of his ANBU dropped down in front of him in a kneeling position.

"Lord Hokage, the diplomat from the Kumo has arrived. Should we bring him straight to the Hokage Tower Council Chambers for the meeting or take him to the hotel first?"

Hiruzen took a pipe and filled it with the fine quality tobacco which he had gotten from the Land of Springs a few months back. He lit it with a small **katon** jutsu and puffed on it for a few seconds to let his nerves calm down. He looked back at the ANBU and asked him to stand.

"Kindly take him to the hotel first and inform him that the meeting is scheduled for noon. Do have an ANBU tail him all times." Hiruzen said. The ANBU nodded and disappeared towards the gate to get the guest.

* * *

Both Naruto and Sasuke were advancing tremendously in their respective training.

Itachi trained with Sasuke about four days a week, during which he mainly focused on his taijutsu, shurikenjutsu and the speed of his hand seals. During his free time, Sasuke mostly trained by himself or read books on the history of Uchiha Clan. He was glad his nii-san was spending time with him and helping him move towards his dream. It only strengthened the bond between the two brothers.

While Sasuke trained with his brother, Naruto trained with Kaa-chan and oji-chan. Tsunade had found an old scroll of taijutsu katas in her clan library which was written by her grandfather Hashirama Senju and had decided to make Naruto become adept at it. She was even more surprised when Naruto had learnt all the katas for beginner and intermediate stages within the first two weeks. It was as if the taijutsu style was made for him. He was simply flawless in it. During the last year, he mainly focused on chakra control exercises such as leaf balancing, tree walking and water walking. Due to the amount of chakra Naruto possessed, it took him few months to get those exercises completed. Now, he was proficient enough in all three. The past two months, he has been practicing Kunai balancing on his hand. There are two stages to this exercise.

First, one must balance the kunai within the palm of their hand. To do this, one must channel equal amount of chakra from all directions of the palm to a single point below the kunai and make it hover over your hand. The second part is the more difficult one. One must balance the kunai on a single finger. This exercise is essentially important for the basics of medical ninjutsu. As by controlling your chakra at a very miniscule point such as a small dot on your finger with much less surface around the dot, one learns to control the movement of their own chakra to a finer degree within their own body.

For the past two weeks, Naruto was stuck on the second stage and it often infuriated him that he couldn't complete it yet. But he kept on trying it day after day. In terms of ninjutsu, Jiraiya hadn't deemed his chakra control up to par to learn any elemental ninjutsu. Naruto was a bit sad in the beginning that he couldn't learn any cool techniques yet, but he understood his oji-chan's reasoning. So, he settled for learning non-elemental techniques such as **Henge** (Transformation), **Kawirami** (Substitution), **Sunshin No Jutsu** (Teleportation Jutsu) and a variation of the **bunshin no jutsu** (Clone Jutsu). Due to the excessive amount of chakra in Naruto, it is nearly impossible for him create a standard clone, which requires miniscule amount of chakra. So, in its place, he was taught the **Kage Bunshin No Jutsu** (Shadow Clone Jutsu) **.** It is a A-Rank **Kinjutsu** that was created by Naruto's great granduncle, Tobirama Senju. It splits the caster's chakra in the number of clones they wish to create.

* * *

The meeting between the Kumogakure diplomat and the Hokage as well as the elders of the village had ended. The talks between the two villages had gone peacefully, much to the Hokage's joy. He thanked Minato for having a friendly relationship with the Yondaime Raikage, A. Many believed was brash and hot headed in all situations, but that is usually not the case. Yes, if someone taunted him personally, he would talk with his fists rather than tongue, but when it concerned his village, he was a different person altogether. During the whole meeting, Homura and Koharu had extensively talked with the diplomat to find any traps that may end up in Konoha's downfall. It wasn't them that worried the aged Hokage. It was Danzo. He was eerily quiet in the chambers, which is unusual. Nonetheless, Kumo had agreed to all the demands made by Konoha, and so did Konoha to theirs.

It was late at night and Naruto was lying alone on top of Yondaime Hokage's head. A while back, he had gone to Ichiraku Ramen which was run by Teuchi, a fifty-year-old man and Ayame, his teenage daughter. They were among the nicest people he had ever met and never scorned him. His mother and Shizune were busy at the hospital today regarding some case and his oji-chan, Jiraiya, went out of the village after his training for the day was done.

He was peacefully gazing at the star filled sky when he sensed someone moving through the forests at fast pace. He wouldn't have done anything initially, but he sensed another presence with the that person who felt scared. So, he immediately got up from his position and went after them in pursuit.

Naruto, even though only five years and three months old, was tall for his age. He was around three feet and four inches and with all the physical training his mother had been giving him, he was extremely agile and fast.

So, he ran as fast as he could and soon stopped in front of the person. 'Judging by his appearance, he's a shinobi, and a Kumogakure shinobi nonetheless'. Naruto thought as he noticed his headband. He then noticed the shinobi was carrying a bag on his back. He tried sensing what was inside the bag, and realized it was a girl around his age, if the amount of chakra was any indication. Naruto realized the shinobi's plan was to kidnap the girl and take her away from the village.

Quickly throwing a couple of shuriken at the shinobi, Naruto settled into his taijutsu stance and ran towards the shinobi at fast pace. Naruto knew the person in front him is probably a Jounin of his village and in terms of skill, he was nowhere near the kidnapper. His plan was to stall him for some time if possible, and move the girl away from him and release a large amount of chakra, so his mother and Hokage-jiji would come to his location immediately.

The Kumo shinobi quickly deflected all the shuriken and faced his attacker. He was surprised to see it was only a kid.

"Hey kid, leave before I am forced to kill you. I am a Jounin. You are no match for me." The man said arrogantly. It was true Naruto wasn't even a shinobi yet and couldn't match the jounin's power. But that didn't stop him from running towards him while carrying a kunai in his left hand.

The Kumo shinobi threw several shuriken and kunai towards the blonde boy at a fast pace. Months of training with Jiraiya and Tsunade helped Naruto now, as he could deflect all of them. The shinobi saw the look in the kid's violet eyes for just a second and hesitated to do anything. That look was cold and of one who isn't afraid to do what he is doing. The Kumo shinobi reminded himself he was only facing a kid and that it would be fine.

When Naruto reached the Kumo shinobi, he threw a punch with his right hand towards his thigh. The shinobi, with his fast reflexes, parried away the strike with his gauntlet hand and immediately got hold of Naruto's left wrist which was coming to strike him with the kunai he was holding. With his extreme agility, Naruto kicked the man on his chest and freed himself in the process. The man gasped for breath as soon as he was hit and skidded back a few meters away. Naruto saw that the bag the shinobi was holding had rolled out of his hands towards a nearby tree. He immediately ran towards the bag and opened it. What he saw caught his breath.

There was a little girl around his age. She had neck length indigo colored hair and white eyes, trademark of the Hyuuga Clan. She had the most beautiful face he had ever seen. '…Beautiful' he thought. He found himself staring at her for a second and then realized the danger wasn't over yet. He heard the girl sniffling a bit and rushed her out of the bag.

"Are you okay?" He asked her with concern.

The girl nodded her head weakly and looked at the boy's face who had come to save her from the kidnapper. White eyes met with violet ones. She was about to ask his name, when a kunai was thrown towards the boy, which made him jump a few meters back.

"Ouch. That hurt you damn brat. I never thought I would have to hurt you seriously. But now you are going to have to pay." The man shouted before he took out a kunai. Naruto and Hinata saw the man cover the kunai with his chakra which started sparkling. Naruto knew what the man was doing. Covering the Kunai with his **raiton** chakra. It was dangerous, he knew it. He moved slightly closer to Hinata to protect her, if need be. The Kumo shinobi on seeing the blonde boy stand protectively beside the Hyuuga girl, got an evil smirk. He threw the electrified kunai towards Hinata at fast pace.

Naruto immediately covered the distance between himself and the girl and pushed her out of the way. Hinata fell to the side and saw her savior was about to be killed because of her. She felt so weak and pathetic at this moment. She covered her face with her hands as she did not want to see him get killed right in front of her face. In an instant, she was pushed a few meters back when she felt an outburst of incredibly large chakra. She looked up to see who it was and her eyes widened.

For Naruto, time had literally frozen. He didn't know what to think. 'Is this how I'm supposed to die? I never even reached my dream. I'm sorry, Sasuke….' Thought Naruto. He closed his eyes and thought how his mother would feel if he died now and that feeling brought forth an immeasurable sadness in his mind. He didn't want to leave his mother. He didn't want to leave Shizune nee-chan. He didn't want to leave his oji-chan, Hokage-jiji. A lone tear slipped down his right eye and suddenly, a wild, uncontrolled violet chakra exploded out of Naruto.

 _In the Hospital_

Tsunade and Shizune were both packing things up in their office when they both felt the uncontrolled explosion of chakra.

Tsunade's heart started beating rapidly as she left whatever she was doing and ran out of the window to the back of the Hokage Monument, from where she felt her son's chakra. 'Naru-chan… please be safe. Kaa-chan is coming soon.' She thought. Shizune was following her master, equally worried for her brother like figure.

 _In the Hokage Office_

Sarutobi was doing his paperwork when he felt the chakra. He knew it was Naruto's. But something felt different about it and yet familiar at the same time. He got up from his seat and immediately rushed towards the place from where he felt the chakra being released. Kakashi, who was there inside the Hokage's office also ran after Sarutobi as he too knew Naruto's chakra signature.

 _Back with Naruto_

The Kumo shinobi, watching this, was shocked as the amount of chakra that was being released right now. 'What is this kid? He's probably not even a genin and the amount of chakra he's releasing is already more than mine. He doesn't seem to be moving. Let me finish him quickly.'

The chakra swirled around Naruto in random directions. Naruto felt like he was in a trance. He couldn't move. He saw the Kumo shinobi move towards him but couldn't do anything. Suddenly he felt both his hands moving towards each other and clasping. His and everyone's eyes widened to extreme proportions when suddenly, several tree branches came out from the ground and went right through the Kumo shinobi, killing him instantly.

The look of horror on Naruto's face upon realizing that he just killed the man was unbearable. He wobbled for a moment before he slumped down and fell unconscious. Hinata who saw the entire event, ran as fast as possible towards Naruto. She went and sat close to him. She looked at him with concern and said in a soft whisper, "I... d… don't even k... know your name."

Sarutobi, Tsunade, Shizune and Kakashi soon came to the location and saw the disaster that had taken place. Their eyes fell on Hinata and the unconscious form of Naruto. Tsunade immediately ran towards Naruto to help her son.

Sarutobi saw the body of the Kumo shinobi, who was in fact the Kumo diplomat with whom he had the treaty talks with impaled by several wooden branches. His eyes fell on Naruto as his experienced mind concluded the events that took place.

'Hashirama-sensei...?' thought Sarutobi.

* * *

 **So, that's a wrap for Chapter 6. The next one will mostly be out on Jan 15 2017. (I usually post according to New York timings.)**

 **Certain moments of Naruto's childhood such as when he unlocked his chakra, the moment he spoke his first words will come in flashbacks in later chapters. The next chapter will focus bit on Naruto and Hinata. How Sasuke responds to Naruto's first kill and how Naruto may become knowing he has brought back a long lost Kekkei Genkai back to Konoha, as well as the village's reaction. Kumo's reaction on their involvement in the kidnapping of a clan heiress might be there in the next chapter. If not, chapter 8 for sure.**

 **Please do Follow, Favorite and Review the story. I would really like to know everyone's opinion.**

 **Until next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author Notes- Hello fellow Readers! Okay so, this chapter took me some time to write. Re-wrote certain parts of the chapter a few times. But, eventually finished and done with this chapter.**

 **So, this chapter mainly talks about the interactions between Kakashi and Naruto and between Naruto and his bijuus. Yes, he finally meets them. Both the Kyubi and the Sanbi will have different reactions towards Naruto. Kyubi being the eldest one among the bijuus will be the wisest among all of them and was also among the few ones in bijuus who understood Sage of Six Path's cryptic words. Naruto also meets Hiashi and Hinata but not much interaction between them as of yet. Seeing as how Hinata is a bit shy and how Naruto is always mesmerized by looking at her, their relationship will develop slowly. How Sasuke will react regarding this, will** **definitely come next time.**

 **[Discalimer: I do not own Naruto.]**

 _ **Anyway lets continue the story**_

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Silhouettes of Nine and Three**

* * *

 _Previously_

Sarutobi saw the body of the Kumo shinobi, who was in fact the Kumo diplomat with whom he had the treaty talks with, impaled by several wooden branches. His eyes fell on Naruto as his experienced mind concluded the events that took place.

"Hashirama-sensei…?" thought Sarutobi.

 _Present_

Tsunade and Shizune immediately ran towards Naruto and Hinata without giving any attention to the man who was lying dead further to their left. Meanwhile, Hinata, who was sitting close to Naruto, tensed a bit and moved slightly closer to him upon seeing so many people arrive at their location.

Tsunade, upon reaching her son, scooped him up in her arms and started to check him all over for any external injuries. To her relief, the most he had received were scratches on his arms and face. She gently put him down on the ground and moved her hands over Naruto's arms. Her hands then started to glow green and to her surprise his injuries started to heal faster than she had anticipated. 'Must be the Kyubi. It is known for its regenerative powers'. She thought. She started flowing her medical chakra into his body to relax his muscles so he wouldn't be in pain when he starts to wake up.

She moved her gaze from her son towards the little girl who was sitting beside Naruto and saw that she was being treated by Shizune. She knew the girl was the Hyuuga heiress, Hinata Hyuuga. She made a point to talk to her later as to what happened. She made a **Kage Bunshin** and ordered it to take Naruto to home for now. As soon as Naruto was out of sight, she turned around with anger burning in her eyes to look at the person who was responsible for her son's current predicament. What she saw made her body freeze. Several wooden branches were growing out from the ground and piercing the shinobi at several points. 'Mokuton?! H… How is this possible? That ability was lost when Hashirama-ojisan died and no one in our clan has ever been able to use that ability ever since. '

When Tsunade, Shizune and the others reached Naruto's location, the Senju Clan Head and her apprentice's mind were only on Naruto. Thus, failing to take notice of the shinobi who was impaled by wooden branches. Tsunade got out of her frozen state and moved towards Sarutobi to discuss the situation with him when she saw Kakashi burning off the wooden branches and taking the Kumo shinobi to morgue, possibly.

 _With Hinata_

Hinata did not have any injuries per say. Although she did have a few bruises here and there possibly when she fell while she was still within the bag or when she was thrown back by Naruto's chakra outburst. It still surprised her to see how much chakra the blond boy possessed. She was only five years old but she could use the revered Byakugan of the Hyuuga Clan.

She often went out on walks through the village with a branch family member named Ko guarding her. At times, she did check on people's chakra levels, including the current Hokage and the blonde boy's chakra levels was almost on par with that of the Sandaime Hokage.

She was currently lying down on the ground as the lady was healing her bruises.

"And here you go, you are as good as new!" Shizune said as she sighed in relief. She knew who the girl was. Hinata Hyuuga, princess and heiress of the prestigious Hyuuga Clan. She had seen her several times in the village walking with her guard. A few weeks back she had seen her at the hospital. It would not have been good for her if the clan heiress of an influential clan was hurt while she could help it.

Hinata sat up straight and moved her hands and legs a bit to make sure and she was surprised to see that she was as good as before. "Arigato" she said meekly, looking at Shizune.

She then looked around to see if she could find the blonde and noticed he was not around anymore. "Umm… where is that boy? W… what is his name?"

Shizune was confused for a while as to who she was asking about and realized she must mean Naruto, as he was the only one with her here apart. 'I can be so stupid at times'. She thought with a deadpan expression. Hinata saw the weird expression on her face and was about to question her when she replied.

"Oh, you are talking about Naruto-kun. He has been taken home so he could rest. Don't worry too much about him. He will be okay after some rest."

'Naruto… that's a beautiful name.' she thought. She was glad he was okay. She couldn't help but feel sad if something had happened to him when he saved her from that man.

"We should get you home Hinata. Your family must be worried about you. I will drop you to your house now, okay?" Shizune asked as she got up. Hinata nodded and got up too and held Shizune's hand.

Shizune and Hinata then walked towards where Tsunade and the others were standing to inform them about Hinata's situation. Shizune saw the Kumo shinobi impaled by several wooden branches and she momentarily stopped. She felt sadness, regret and shock. She resumed walking towards Tsunade when she noticed Hinata was staring at her quizzically.

 _With Sarutobi and Kakashi_

Both Sarutobi and Kakashi had just one word in their mind. 'Mokuton'. While one had only heard legends about the revered Kekkei Genkai, the other had witnessed firsthand, it being performed during his life decades ago.

They could not comprehend how it was possible for Naruto to possess it. They both were sure the blonde boy had no connection what so ever to the Shodai Hokage.

"Sandaime-sama? How is this possible!?" Kakashi asked with disbelief in his voice.

Sarutobi glanced towards Kakashi and saw how surprised he was. It was not an easy feat to catch _Sharingan No Kakashi_ off guard. This was probably one of the few instances. He sighed as he massaged his temples. 'This is going to bring a lot of paperwork…'

"I don't have the answers with me right now Kakashi. Let's not discuss it over here. A Kumo diplomat being killed in Konoha is not going to sit well with Kumogakure. They have a lot to answer for the kidnapping attempt on the Hyuuga Clan Heiress. Also, we can't be sure if the man worked on his own accord or if it was on the order of Raikage or the council in Kumogakure." Kakashi understood the implications of what Sarutobi was saying. It was a brittle situation. One wrong move from them and it could ignite war with Kumo. Even if it was a temporary peace within the elemental nations, it did not mean the different villages were slacking off in their military aspect.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Kakashi said.

Hiruzen nodded and said, "Take the Kumo shinobi off from those branches and burn off the wood. Word must not get out about Naruto possessing the Mokuton to the village yet. It could have dangerous implications in the elemental nations."

Kakashi nodded and proceeded to do what he was asked. Sarutobi sighed again as he looked at night sky while taking out his smoking pipe. He filled it with tobacco and puffed on it a few times. 'To have his first kill at such young an age… It must have been horrible for him. Just when you hope peace is going to last, reality comes crashing down… I'm so sorry Minato.'

Sarutobi looked to his right and saw Tsunade approaching him. One look at her face and he could tell the woman was angry and equally surprised at the situation in front of them. Naruto was the closest person to her and to know that her son's innocence was taken at a young age of five wouldn't sit well with her.

Tsunade walked towards the aged Hokage and stood beside him "Sarutobi-sensei. I… I don't understand. How is this possible?" she asked in disbelief.

"I know, Tsunade-chan. However, this isn't the place to talk. Let's get back home for now. I will send one of my summons to look to for Jiraiya. Once he arrives, we will discuss the matter in my office." Sarutobi advised.

Tsunade nodded weakly. She looked back where the man was and saw Kakashi had already taken him off and was burning the wood made from Naruto's chakra with a **Katon** jutsu.

Once it was done, Kakashi sealed the body in a seal and walked back towards the Hokage and Tsunade.

"Take him to morgue and make Inoichi Yamanaka look in his mind. Whatever information we can gather regarding this kidnapping will be beneficial to us in our talks with the Raikage." Sarutobi said. Kakashi nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke towards the Konoha Hospital.

Just as Kakashi was gone from sight, Shizune and Hinata walked beside them.

"Hokage-sama, Tsunade-sama, I think it's best for Hinata to be taken home now. She seems to be shaken by tonight's events." Shizune said. Hinata nervously stood beside Shizune and just looked at her feet.

Both Sarutobi and Tsunade glanced towards the little girl once and saw how disturbed she seemed at the moment. "Take her home Shizune and put her to sleep immediately. She will be better by tomorrow morning." Tsunade said. Shizune picked up Hinata in her arms quickly ran towards the Hyuuga Compound.

"I should go home too Sarutobi-sensei. I don't want to leave Naru-chan alone right now." Tsunade said. The Sandaime nodded to her and she too left, towards the Senju Compound.

Sarutobi gave one last glance at the spot where the man was killed and he too disappeared thinking, 'The next few days are not going to be pretty'.

Two shinobi wearing plain white masks were carefully observing the events unfold while standing on tree tops a few distances away from the Sandaime and the Senju Clan Head.

"Let's go. We must inform this to Danzo-sama as soon as possible." Said one of the men. They soon disappeared without alerting anyone of their presence.

* * *

 _Half an Hour earlier at the Hyuuga Compound_

If one could describe the atmosphere within the Hyuuga compound currently, it would be tensed and mayhem. Most of the people from both the main and branch family were frantically looking for the eldest daughter of the Clan Head, Hiashi Hyuuga. While most were worried about the safety of Hinata, the elders of the Hyuuga Clan were mainly worried that the Byakugan should not fall into the hands of enemy shinobi.

About half an hour had passed since Hinata was missing now. Hiashi had made a habit of checking up on her every night before he went to sleep. So today, when he went to check up on her, he found her room to be empty and the window to be opened. He doubted she would run away anywhere on her own, so the most likely scenario was she was abducted, he concluded.

He had immediately gathered everyone from the branch family and sent them to search the perimeter of the Hyuuga estates. Some people from the main family, who were fond of the young heiress, had also offered to lend a helping hand.

Hiashi was standing in the gardens of the main house building near the gates of the Hyuuga Compound. Even though he still had his stoic face mask on, one who knew him closely could tell he was worried sick. Just a few weeks back, he had lost his beloved wife, Hitomi Hyuuga. It was during Hanabi's delivery that she perished due to extreme fatigue and stress on her body.

"Do not worry brother. We have our clan members looking everywhere for her. We will find her eventually." Came the voice of Hizashi Hyuuga. Hizashi was Hiashi's twin brother and the head of the branch family of the Hyuuga Clan. Because he was born a minute after Hiashi, he was branded the cage bird seal. Even though family traditions separated the two brothers, they never treated one another as superior or inferior. In their eyes, they were family. Born from the same blood.

Hiashi glanced towards his brother and released a deep sigh. "I can't help but worry. She's young. She doesn't know how cruel the outside world is. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something happened to her." Hiashi was at least glad no one was here to see him this way. It would not be befitting for a Clan Head. Hizashi put his hand on his brother's shoulder and gave him a comforting squeeze.

Among everyone, it was only Hizashi who understood the relationship between young Hinata and Hiashi. Some would say Hiashi was strict towards her because she's weak and lacked confidence. While others may say, she reminded him too much of his deceased wife and hated her for it.

 _Hate._ It's a very subjective term. People use it for anything they tend to dislike minutely. However, it was not hatred or dislike which made Hiashi act strict towards his eldest daughter.

Out of his two daughters, Hinata had a striking resemblance to Hitomi. She was kind, gentle and loving. He believed, if he would be strict towards her, he could get her to be strong willed. He could not hate Hinata. He never could. After all, she was the living reminder of his late wife.

Suddenly the two of them felt an immense amount of chakra being released. They could feel how powerful and dense the chakra was. They were about to leave the compound to check the source when few branch family members came in front of them and kneeled. One of them stood up to face the Clan Head and said, "Hiashi-sama, we have found Hinata-sama. She's with Shizune-san now. She's bringing her back."

Hiashi immediately left without saying another word and dashed out of the compound to meet her daughter as soon as possible. Hizashi thanked the people in front him standing for helping in the search and asked them to inform everyone else about the news. They nodded and dispersed. Hizashi too, followed behind his brother to meet with Hinata.

 _With Shizune and Hinata_

Shizune was walking towards the Hyuuga compound with Hinata in her arms. Due to the stress of the events catching up to the young girl, she had fallen asleep after some time they started walking.

She was nearing the compound when she saw Hiashi running towards her and stopping in front of her.

He was about to call out her name when he saw she was asleep. "Is she okay?" Hiashi asked with some concern in his voice. Shizune was a bit startled hearing his concerned voice. She didn't think the man could show any emotion.

Nonetheless she nodded and said, "She's fine now. She had some bruises and small cuts which I healed. Although she is a bit shaken from the events she witnessed tonight."

He straightened his face and asked, "What happened?"

"The kidnapper would have gotten away with her, had it not been for Naruto-kun. He was able to stop him. It was a Kumo shinobi. Naruto apprehended the shinobi and saved Hinata from him but the shinobi got killed in the process accidently by Naruto-kun.

Hiashi widened his eyes upon hearing her words. Even though he was a strict and harsh person at times, he would never wish a five-year-old child to go through the feeling of killing someone. He felt a bit saddened upon hearing that. He hadn't done anything till now to help his childhood friend's son. 'I'm sorry Minato.' He thought as he hung his head down for a second.

He got those feelings out of his head as he asked Shizune to give Hinata. He gently took her from Shizune's arms and placed Hinata safely in his own.

"Hiashi-sama, it's best if Hinata rests for a few days. It will be good for her mental health." Shizune advised. Shizune was about to leave when Hiashi's voice stopped her.

"Shizune-san, do thank Naruto-san on my behalf. Even though I regret about what he had to do tonight, I am thankful to him for saving my daughter. Hinata and I shall visit the Senju Compound tomorrow to pay him and Tsunade-sama a visit." Shizune nodded and immediately left to her house to check up on Naruto.

Hiashi turned and walked back towards the Hyuuga Compound when he met with Hizashi on the way.

"Not now, brother. I will tell you the details when we reach home." Hizashi nodded and both of them, along with a sleeping Hinata, left to their house for some much needed rest.

* * *

 _Senju Compound_

Tsunade's **Kage Bunshin** had brought the unconscious Naruto back to the house and laid him down in Tsunade's room and dispelled herself after that.

After a while, Tsunade entered the house and rushed to her bedroom to see Naruto as she had received the memories of her clone. She reached her bedroom and saw Naruto sleeping peacefully. She moved towards him and put a blanket on top of him and sat beside him.

She stroked his beautiful blonde hair as she frowned thinking about tonight's events. 'I'm sorry Naru-chan. I should have reached you earlier. You should not have gone through what you did tonight.' She stayed like that for a few minutes and started feeling sleepy. Soon, she closed her eyes and slept with her hand still on her son's hair.

A few minutes later, Shizune came to the room to the sight of mother and son sleeping. She went closer to them and saw that Naruto looked fine externally but knew once he wakes up, the weight of his actions will come crashing down on him. Seeing as she too was feeling tired after everything that happened tonight, she decided to go to her room and sleep. 'I will talk to Naruto-kun and Tsunade-sama tomorrow morning.'

* * *

 _Inside Naruto's mindscape_

After Naruto fell unconscious, he soon found himself awake in a dark corridor. He looked down to see that there was water everywhere up to his knees. Yet, he couldn't understand why he did not feel wet upon touching the water. He looked around himself and saw that there were various ways leading to different directions.

"Where am I?" He thought out loud. The last thing he remembered was falling unconscious after his body released a vast amount of chakra and seeing several wooden branches forming out of the ground and piercing the shinobi and ki… killing him. And the entire event came crashing down on him. He had killed. He did not want to. Yet, he did. He felt few tears rolling down his face and looked at the water below to see his reflection. He could not look at himself. So, he just punched the water which was reflecting his face. He also realized the fact that he had used Mokuton. The ability which was said to be possessed only by his great-grandfather. He did not know what to think. There were various emotions going through his mind right now. Guilt, regret and shock being the prominent ones.

Suddenly he heard something like a snicker and a loud grumbling coming from straight ahead the corridor.

" **Come closer, human** ". Said a deep voice. Naruto did not think there was anyone around with him. The voice was powerful and he felt compelled to follow the command. So, he got up with shaky legs and walked straight ahead. It was a little bit dark around him and as he walked ahead, he could see a bright light. He presumed it must be the end of the corridor and from where the voice came from. As he was walking, he saw three pipelines of various colors.

One was violet in color. 'It's just like the color of my chakra.'. He thought. The second one was sea blue color and was quite large and the third one was by far the largest and was dark red in color.

Soon enough, he reached the end of the corridor. What he saw, surprised him to no end. It was a large room, probably larger than the Hokage Monument. Up front was a humungous cage which was oddly divided into two compartments. He slowly walked forward and saw that the cage held a piece of paper which had the kanji for _Seal_. Upon further inspection, he concluded 'It's a seal. But, for what?'

He got his answer when a large silhouette came forward from behind the cage. Seeing that, Naruto took a step back in fear. The figure soon revealed itself to the child. It had reddish orange fur and large paws. But what distinguished the creature was its large red slit eyes and nine tails swinging lazily behind it. The Kyubi looked down at the child who was now sitting on his rear looking at him fearfully and smirked slightly.

The moment Naruto saw the nine tails behind the creature which looked like a fox, he knew what it was. _The Kyubi No Yoko._

" **Get up, human.** " The Kyubi said. All this while the Sanbi just decided to stay back within the cage and not reveal his presence to Naruto. He did not feel like talking to his jailor. Unlike Kyubi, the Sanbi had never been shown a shred of kindness. Ever since he knew, he was sealed from one person to another, just for the use of his power. He despised the humans. These war mongering creatures as he called them. Waging wars for no apparent reason.

Hesitantly, Naruto got up and stood back on his feet.

"Kyu… Kyubi?" Naruto stuttered. It was a natural reaction. To be standing in front the strongest bijuu of all. Any normal human being would mostly wet themselves. Naruto, however, was not any normal child.

" **So, you know of me. Are you afraid, Naruto?** " The beast asked, surprising Naruto. How was it that the Kyubi knew his name? Where was he? Is he dead? Since he was told since childhood that the Kyubi and the Sanbi who attacked Konohagakure No Sato years ago were killed by the Yondaime Hokage. He felt a bit saddened thinking that he was dead.

The Sanbi scoffed in his mind, seeing this boy's stupidity. " _ **Like a human could ever kill a bijuu**_ ".

" **No, you aren't dead boy. No pathetic mortal can ever kill a Bijuu** " Now Naruto was dumbfounded.

"Can you hear my thoughts?" asked Naruto, now looking straight at the Kyubi.

" **Yes, I can. Since I do live inside of you because of that man you call Yondaime.** "

"What are you talking about you? What do you mean live inside of me?" questioned Naruto.

" **Do you have any idea where you are boy?** " For a second Naruto felt like the bijuu was mocking him. He quickly discarded that idea as he remembered reading in a book that the bijuu were beings made of chakra with consciousness. They couldn't show any emotion.

"No. I don't. If I'm not dead as you say, then where am I? And how come you're here? Everyone in the village was told that you were killed by the Yondaime Hokage." Naruto was starting to get slightly scared now, not liking where everything was leading to.

" **We are in your mindscape boy. That damn Yondaime sealed us inside of you.** " Said the bijuu as his nine tails swung wildly behind his back upon mention of the Yondaime. Kyubi and looked closely towards Naruto and saw his shocked reaction. He could feel his emotions surging. All the pain, all the hatred the villagers had shown towards the boy. He could feel it.

After what seemed like eternity, Naruto spoke in a low voice, "Yo… You are joking, right? Thi… This can't be true. Why would he pick me!?" he shouted the last part in anger.

The Kyubi just seemed to laugh upon seeing his reaction. He had expected the reaction from the boy. The Kyubi and the Sanbi were probably among the few who knew Naruto the best. The two beasts living within Naruto knew his every thought. The moment they were sealed within the young boy, they could recognize Ashura's chakra. There was no mistaking it. Ashura Otsusuki's chakra had transmigrated to Senju Naruto. Their claim was proved right when he showed the ability to use mokuton this night.

" **I wouldn't know that boy. Unfortunately, we will be stuck with you till the time you die** " The Kyubi knew why it was. The Yondaime sealed the Sanbi and him within Naruto, but he decided not to reveal that. Even though the Kyubi knew Naruto was the re-incarnation of Ashura, it didn't mean he had to like the boy much. He still regarded the boy as someone who denied him his freedom. But, he also knew the Rikoudo's last words to him. He scoffed a bit, thinking how his father always spoke in riddles. Being the eldest one among all the bijuu, he was the strongest, smartest and wisest among them all. Among the couple of reasons, he had decided to help the boy was because Naruto's chakra was soothing and calmed him down greatly. It slightly reminded him of the time he was still inside Rikoudo Sennin. Unlike his previous two containers, he had a relatively easier time inside this boy.

By this time, Naruto was now on the ground again on his hands and knees staring at his reflection. He had started learning fuinjutsu from Jiraiya oji-chan when he was four years old. From what he was told by the white haired Sennin, he was a level two seal master. So, he knew the applications of an object being sealed inside of something. So, he understood that he was not the Kyubi. He was not a monster or a demon like many of the villagers called him on several occasions. For some reason, he started to feel slightly calm. He at least knew the reason why the villagers seemed to hate him. He always used to wonder what he did wrong to deserve such treatment. Now, he knew it was not his fault for the treatment he received. Rather, it was some people's stupidity. Suddenly Naruto caught onto Kyubi's words and realized something.

"We? Who else is there other than you?" asked Naruto as he looked at the Kyubi. The fox was a bit surprised that his voice seemed to lack any fear in them.

" **What do you think happened to the Sanbi if I'm sealed inside of you?** " Naruto was a bit annoyed that Kyubi answered most of his questions in questions rather than giving straight forward answers. But he understood the implications of the fox's words. As he moved towards his right, he saw the giant silhouette of a creature which looked like a turtle, with three tails behind him. He wondered why the turtle had not shown himself till now.

" **Do not even think about bothering me Boy. I'm not here to entertain your ass** ". He heard a loud deep voice and for some reason it sounded lazy to him. Naruto thought of being sensible for now and moved back to his earlier position.

"Why are you being so calm with me?" Naruto asked, as he was again standing in front of Kyubi.

" **We bijuu are beings made of chakra. Different bijuu signify a different emotion. I, the Kyubi No Yoko, am a mass of hatred. All I can feel from everyone is negative emotions. However, your chakra reminds me of a man. It's calm and soothing.** " The Kyubi said in sort of a deep voice which had no malevolence in it. Naruto was startled hearing his chakra had such an effect on the great Kyubi No Yoko. Then he wondered how the books he read described the giant fox and how different the fox was in actuality. His mind shifted to why it was that the two bijuu attacked the village. They did not seem so blood thirsty to him currently.

" **I will not answer that question to you now. Just be glad that I'm not shredding you to pieces now. When the time is right and if you have earned my respect enough, then I may.** " The Kyubi yawned as his tails swung lazily behind him again. Naruto felt a slight shiver run down his spine at the prospect of being shredded by the Nine Tails. He felt even more at unease with the way the fox had said it so lazily. As if it was a normal thing to him.

" **Now get lost boy.** " Ordered the bijuu as he moved to the back of the cage. Naruto felt his body fading away and soon he was thrown out of his mindscape.

" **Kurama, why do you even bother talking to the boy?** " asked Isobu with contempt, once he was sure Naruto had left.

Kurama could sense his brother was not happy about him talking to their Jinchuuriki. " **The boy is special Isobu. He reminds me of tou-san. He will be the one to accomplish what tou-san could not** ".

The giant turtle stood up from his lying position as his three tails swished wildly behind him upon hearing that comment.

" **Do not compare that whelp to tou-san. None of these humans can ever be like him. No matter what words these humans use, they all say the same thing. At the end, we are nothing but pawns in their pathetic wars** " Isobu paused for a while as if in deep thought. " **However, the boy did seem different. Ashura would not transmigrate in just any mortal. The boy must be special. He will still have to prove himself to me** "

" **Only time will tell brother… only time will tell** ". With that the Kyubi closed his eyes with one thought in his mind. " _ **Do not fail my trust in you, Senju Naruto.**_ _"_

* * *

 _Early Next Morning_

It was early in the morning that Naruto's eyes opened. He found himself in his Kaa-chan's room with her sleeping beside him. He slowly pushed himself out of the blanket and got out of bed. He tip toed towards the door and slowly walked out of the room. He couldn't stay at home right now. So, after putting on his sandals, he walked outside the Senju Compound towards the only place that offered him peace. On top of Yondaime's head.

Kakashi was getting back to his house after taking the Kumo shinobi's body to the morgue, then to Inoichi Yamanaka and finally to Ibiki. Much of his time was spent waiting at the Yamanaka's office. Apparently the Kumo shinobi had several barriers within his mind that sealed off some of his memories. Inoichi, however, was able to break through those barriers and find it was the Kumo Council that had ordered the kidnapping of the Hyuuga Clan Heiress for the Byakugan.

He was about to take the rooftops when out of the corner of his eyes he saw young Naruto walking somewhere. He was a bit surprised to see him now. The boy had been involved in a major incident not even a few hours ago and here he was outside at 4 in the morning. He saw the troubled look on his face and decided to follow Naruto, to keep an eye on the blonde.

Naruto was absent mindedly walking towards his sanctum. He had a lot of things going in his mind. Why was he chosen for the sealing? Why did his Kaa-chan and Jiraiya oji-chan hide this fact from him? How many knew that he was the Jinchuuriki of the Kyubi and the Sanbi? Especially, who was it that the Kyubi reminded him of? So many questions and yet no answers in his mind. Even though Naruto was an extremely energetic child in his earlier years, his mother had taught him to meditate. To be able to control his mind and to strengthen it. Additionally, with all the reading that he was made to do from four years of age, he was quite knowledgeable.

Soon enough, he reached his destination. He walked towards the edge of the head stone and stared down at village. The sun was yet to rise. Even though the village was shrouded in darkness now. He felt the village still looked beautiful. Looking at the village below, he recalled all the hatred and scorn he was shown by so many of the villagers. And for a second, he started to doubt them. He wondered if they deserved it. "Is it worth it? To be hated by so many and still continue to protect them from such evil?" he thought out loud.

Kakashi who was watching the blonde from a few distances away clearly heard what the blonde had said and his eyes widened at that. 'How does he know?' he thought frantically.

He slowly approached the blonde and stood beside him.

Surprisingly Naruto did not get startled by Kakashi's sudden appearance. He had felt his chakra following him earlier. The blonde knew he was among the few who kept an eye on him when he was out in the village alone. Despite Kakashi's appearance, Naruto kept on staring at the village.

"It is worth it, Naruto." Said Kakashi softly. Naruto glanced at Kakashi once but did not say anything for a while.

"Why do you say so? They can't see the difference between the bijuu and me." Naruto replied.

"You know, my sensei always told me, _A shinobi does not have an easy life. There will be times when they must make sacrifices to keep others safe. Not for themselves, but for others. This world has a lot of hatred Kakashi. But it also has love. Hold those who are dear to you and your path will become a lot easier, because a shinobi is one who stands firm and endures._ "

The blonde was enthralled by those words. Never had he ever heard someone say that to him or anyone else. He realized how true those words were. Despite all the hatred his life contained, he also had love. His Kaa-chan. Jiraiya oji-chan. Shizune nee-chan. Hokage-jiji. These people were his world and he knew they loved him unconditionally. He also realized, if he hadn't killed the shinobi, even if by accident, neither the girl or he would probably be alive right now. He felt as if a burden was lifted off his heart on hearing the ANBU Captain's words.

"Wh… Who was your sensei shinobi-san?" asked Naruto quietly.

"Call me Kakashi, Naruto." Kakashi said. He faced towards Naruto and bent down. "It was Minato Namikaze, The Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure No Sato."

Kakashi smiled upon seeing the look of disbelief on his face. He knew how deeply Naruto admired the Yondaime from his talks with Shizune. It was ironic for him to hear that Naruto wanted to surpass the Yondaime Hokage out of everyone else the most. The son wanting to surpass his father. He smiled in his mind thinking about that.

"Do not hate these people Naruto. So many of them lost their family members during the attack. If it wasn't for Minato-sensei, more people would have died. He protected the village from a great disaster that one night, while you protect each one of us every day from those demons. You are a hero Naruto. The greatest one our village will ever see." The ANBU Captain said with one of his eye smiles.

Naruto had a few tears rolling down his face upon hearing Kakashi say those words. How eased it made his mind feel. To see someone other than his family acknowledge him.

Despite not knowing him personally, Naruto quickly hugged Kakashi tightly. Kakashi was a bit surprised with the sudden contact, but he put his arms around the little boy and hugged him back.

Naruto thanked him while sniffling in between and Kakashi just moved his hands on his back soothingly to make him feel calm. A few moments later they broke the hug and Naruto wiped away his tears.

"But, why did the Yondaime decide to choose me for the sealing?" Naruto asked eventually. That question had been bothering him for some time now.

"I don't know Naruto. None of us may the know the answer to that question. But, I do know one thing for sure. The Yondaime believed in you. He believed if it was anyone who could bear the burden, it would be you. It was his dying wish that you be seen as a hero by everyone. Most people may not acknowledge you right now, but one day, they will. They all will see you as who you are and not as the burdens you carry inside you."

Naruto smiled brightly at those words. He looked back at the village below as the sun was just rising. Again, he couldn't help but admire the beauty of this place. The place he was born. His home. He resolved himself and said out loud, "One day, when I become Hokage, everyone is going to know my name, Senju Naruto!"

Kakashi eye smiled at the blonde's antics. However, his face dropped the playfulness and became serious.

"How do you know about the Kyubi and the Sanbi Naruto?" He asked.

Naruto tensed slightly hearing that. He didn't know if telling him about his meeting with the two bijuu was a wise idea. Eventually he decided to just go ahead and get it out of his mind.

"When I became unconscious, I… I was brought into my mindscape and I met the two bijuu there. Well, only the Kyubi spoke to me and the Sanbi seemed sort of uninterested in talking to me."

Kakashi thought about what Naruto said and wondered if it was due to him using Mokuton for the first time today. It was a possibility. From what he had read, the mokuton had special characteristics similar to the sharingan. It had the ability to suppress bijuu chakra and calm them greatly.

"So what happened then?"

"Well, the Kyubi did not seem so bad compared to the information that is written in the books that I have read. He seemed quite calm. He did say my chakra made him feel calm and that I reminded him of someone. Although I don't who." Naruto replied.

"Hmm... well, that is quite strange. I wouldn't expect someone like the Kyubi to be nostalgic. Anyhow, you shouldn't make a habit of talking to them too much alright? Also, you better tell about this to Tsunade-sama, Shizune and Jiraiya-sama." Although Kakashi felt a bit disturbed that the young boy was talking to the two beasts, he decided not to talk further much regarding this issue. 'I will talk with Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama later in more detail'. He thought.

Naruto understood Kakashi's concerns regarding this and just settled for nodding.

The two stayed on top of Yondaime's head for few more minutes before Naruto decided it was time to go home. He bid his farewell to Kakashi and thanked him once again for talking to him and he disappeared in a **Sunshin** surprising Kakashi greatly.

'Huh. Looks like he will grow into a fine shinobi Minato-sensei'. Kakashi thought before he, too, **Sunshined** to his home to get some sleep.

 _Senju Compound Two hours later_

Shizune had woken up early and groaned in annoyance that she wasn't getting any sleep anymore. She got up from her bed and went to washroom to fresh herself up.

After that she left towards the kitchen where she could prepare breakfast for Tsunade and Naruto when they wake up. She was surprised to see Naruto was already up and sipping on a glass of milk.

"Naruto-kun? How come you are up so early?" She asked as she sat next to him.

"Nee-chan! Oh, I actually woke up a few hours back and did not get sleep. I was also starting to feel hungry, so I came down to look for food. But there wasn't anything other than milk and some bread." He said. As if on auto pilot, his stomach grumbled a bit to signify how hungry he was, making him rub his head sheepishly.

Shizune giggled a bit hearing his stomach make noises. She got up from her seat went inside the kitchen to prepare some breakfast for the hungry blond.

"Naru-chan!?" Shizune and Naruto heard Tsunade's voice ringing through the house. Both their gazes turned back when sounds of footsteps became louder and louder before Tsunade appeared in the kitchen with a small frown etched on her face. Naruto getting an idea, hid under the table without making a noise before his mother could see him.

"Shizune…?" she mumbled, half questioning and half stating the fact that she wasn't too keen on finding her here.

"What happened Tsunade-sama? Is everything okay?" she asked. She saw how worried and concerned she looked now. Tsunade's gaze finally fixed on Shizune as she gave her a stern look saying, "Where is Naru-chan? I couldn't find him after I woke up. He was sleeping right beside me. I searched the other rooms and he wasn't there also."

Shizune giggled again seeing her master's irritation and annoyance. She could see the woman had just woken up from her nap and was certainly annoyed not finding her blonde sunshine near her, especially after the incident few hours back.

She pointed towards the table she was sitting with Naruto. Tsunade followed her direction and saw that there was nothing there apart from an empty seat.

"What are trying to show me Shizune? There's no one there! Where is Naru-chan?" She asked again clearly irritated. Shizune whipped her head in Naruto's earlier seat and found that he wasn't there anymore.

"Bu… But Tsunade-sama, he was there a few moments ago! I was sitting there with him." Shizune stuttered a bit with a bit sweat rolling down her forehead. Tsunade gave her a stern gaze which made her slightly worried about what her master might do, if she doesn't find Naruto immediately.

Naruto who was hiding under the table couldn't control his laughter upon seeing nee-chan in her current predicament and burst out laughing. He then came out of the table and stood in front of the two ladies.

Tsunade upon seeing her son forgot about Shizune and immediately glomped Naruto in tight hug. "Kaa-chan! Kaa-chan! Can't breathe!" he said in a muffled voice.

Tsunade released him from the hug and kissed him on the forehead once. "Naru-chan! Where were you? I was worried about you. I thought somethi… something may have happened to you". She said worriedly.

Naruto felt a bit bad now upon worrying his mother like that. He hugged his Kaa-chan and kissed her on her cheek softly. "I'm sorry Kaa-chan. I woke up early and could not sleep after that. I didn't think you would get worried. I'm really sorry Kaa-chan!" He said with a downcast look.

Tsunade's heart melted seeing her son's face and all her worries seemingly vanished into thin air. She poked him once on the forehead and said, "Shhh… It's alright Naru-chan. Don't worry."

She lifted his chin up slowly and looked him straight in the eyes. "Naru-chan? Are you feeling okay? After what happened earlier? Do you want to talk about it?"

"Uhm Kaa-chan, I'm feeling better now. I went out to sit on top of Yondaime's head after waking up and Kakashi spoke to me about what happened. He's a very nice person!" Naruto said with a smile. He decided not to tell his Kaa-chan about meeting the two bijuu yet and rather tell her about it when Jiraiya oji-chan and Hokage-jiji are present.

Both Tsunade and Shizune were surprised that Kakashi would introduce himself to Naruto so early. They knew he was one of his ANBU guards when he travelled inside the village. The other being Yugao Uzuki. Tsunade and Jiraiya themselves had handpicked these shinobi for Naruto's protection. One being a student of Minato and the other being Kushina's student. They both knew Naruto's true heritage and willingly accepted the job.

Tsunade, however, smiled hearing Kakashi being there for Naruto when he was probably feeling troubled. She reminded herself to thank the silver haired man when she meets him again.

"Kaa-chan! Can we have breakfast now? I'm really hungry." Whined Naruto.

Tsunade nodded and stood up to face Shizune and said, "Shizune? Could you prepare some breakfast for us quickly? I will fresh up and come." Shizune noticed how quickly Tsunade forgot all about the stern gaze she was giving her just moments ago.

When Tsunade left upstairs, she looked towards Naruto and gave him a mock glare saying, "Not cool Naruto-kun… Not cool at all." Naruto just rubbed the back of his head and said sorry with a bright smile marred on his face.

With a shake of her head, she went back to the kitchen to prepare some breakfast again.

* * *

 _Few Hours Later at the Hyuuga Compound_

It was around 9 in the morning now and everyone in the compound had woken up to do their daily jobs, one apart from the young Hinata Hyuuga.

She was gently tucked in her bed under the comforts of her blanket by Hiashi. She soon opened her eyes as the morning rays hit her face through the window. She sat up straight and looked around, realizing that she was in her bedroom. The last thing she knew, she was being carried home by this lady called Shizune. Then suddenly she remembered the events of the last night and that boy who had saved her from the man. She wanted to cry a bit but she couldn't. She remembered how her father always taught her, it was not befitting for a clan heiress to cry. Especially for the clan heiress of the prestigious Hyuuga Clan.

She got out of her bed and went to fresh herself. Soon after that, she went to the dining hall where she found her father sitting there sipping on what she guessed was tea and reading some document.

"Goo… Good morning father." She said shyly as she took the seat opposite to her father.

Hiashi looked away from the piece of paper he was reading looked at his daughter. He felt a bit ashamed that he wasn't able to look after her properly. It was his wife's last wish. Had he been more careful, last night's incident wouldn't have happened. "Morning Hinata. Are you feeling better?" He asked warmly.

Hinata was a bit surprised seeing her father talk to her in such a nice manner. She rarely saw her father smile and ever since her mother's death a few weeks back, he usually had his stoic face on almost all the time. Nonetheless, she nodded to her father, albeit weakly.

"Get ready, after having breakfast, we will be going to the Senju Compound to meet with Tsunade-sama and Naruto. You were fortunate Naruto-san was there to apprehend the shinobi last night Hinata." He finished his tea and left to his room after that.

Hinata again was left speechless hearing that Naruto belonged to the Senju Clan. Although she was glad her father did not blame her for being kidnapped and saying something along the lines of _I'm disappointed in you Hinata. Had you been more careful, this wouldn't have happened_. She took some cinnamon rolls from the side and quickly ate them so she could get ready. Inwardly, she was slightly excited to meet with Naruto. She couldn't believe how brave and strong the boy was when he fought for her last night.

After about half an hour, Hinata was dressed up in a formal purple kimono, waiting for her father near the gates. A couple of minutes later, Hiashi arrived, then father and daughter left the Hyuuga Compound towards the Senju residence.

 _Senju Compound_

Naruto was sitting in the living room at the table reading a book on fuinjutsu level three. It was only a couple of months back that he finished level one and level two completely and mastered to an extent that his oji-chan was impressed with him. He was now capable of making sealing scrolls, exploding tags, body containment seals and multiplying exploding tags with relative ease and rather quickly.

Time is one of the main factors when one learns fuinjutsu. Even if one is a master in the field of fuinjutsu but cannot form basic seals quickly in the heat of the moment and during times of need, it would not be of much use. That is what Jiraiya had taught Naruto. If he was able to form seals within less than 20 seconds, he could be called a master in making those particular seals. Naruto was proud that he was able to learn this field of shinobi quite easily. He loved learning it in fact. Whenever he would get some free time at home, he would be seen with a fuinjutsu book in his hands.

Shizune was currently in the hospital doing her work and Tsunade was sitting on a couch nearby Naruto reading a medical book.

The sound of the door bell was heard by both the mother and son and made them wonder who it could be at this time of the day. Naruto got back to reading his book as Tsunade got up from her seat and made her way towards the door.

When she opened it, she was surprised to see Hiashi standing there with his daughter.

"Hiashi-san. What brings you here?" she asked politely.

"Greetings, Tsunade-sama. Well, to be honest, I wished to speak to Naruto-san about last night and thank him for saving my daughter." He said.

Tsunade nodded understanding what the Hyuuga Clan head meant and invited them inside the house. Tsunade smiled towards the little girl and urged her to come inside.

Hinata, who was standing behind Hiashi all this time, shyly walked behind her father towards the living room of the house. Hiashi sat down on the couch opposite to which Tsunade was sitting with Hinata beside him. He saw Naruto was sitting on a table and was busy reading a book. He looked at the book he was reading more specifically and saw it was a level three fuinjutsu book. His eyes widened a bit as he remembered a visage of Minato sitting under a tree reading the same book. 'Like father, like son I suppose'.

Tsunade came back in the room and saw that Naruto was so immersed in his book that he didn't notice the guests coming in.

"Naru-chan?" she called him. Naruto looked up from his book and turned around to look at her. He then noticed there was a moderately tall man with long brown hair and white eyes just like the girl's he had seen last night. He was wearing traditional loose fitting robes with a long sleeved brown haori. Coincidentally, when he moved his gaze to the man's left, he saw the same girl he had seen last night. He presumed the man must be her father.

He got up from his seat and moved next to his mother.

"Naru-chan, this is Hiashi Hyuuga, Clan Head of the Hyuuga Clan and with him is his daughter, Hinata Hyuuga. You remember her from last night, don't you?" Tsunade asked him.

Naruto nodded and looked towards Hiashi and gave him a polite bow saying, "Good Morning, Hiashi-sama". He looked towards Hinata and again couldn't help but admire how pretty she looked. His cheeks turned slightly red upon thinking that and quickly said, "Good Morning, Hinata-chan!" with a jovial smile.

Hiashi was impressed with the boy so far. He seemed to be hard in his studies as well as polite. Meanwhile, Hinata was trying not to blush heavily when she heard him call her _Hinata-chan_ and poked her index fingers shyly.

Tsunade went and took her seat as Hiashi motioned for Naruto to come towards him.

As the blonde boy stood in front of Hiashi, for the first time he could get a good look at him. 'My god. He looks so much like Minato now with the way he keeps his hair and with some of his habits'. Hiashi chuckled a bit inwardly.

"Naruto-san, I apologize for what you had to go through yesterday. No five year old child shall ever have to go through the feeling of killing another human so young. However, if it wasn't for you, my daughter would have been probably kidnapped and who knows what may have happened with her. So, I am sincerely thankful to you for apprehending the shinobi who was behind the incident last night. If there is anything you ever need, do not hesitate to come to me. The Hyuuga Clan shall always be indebted to you and your mother." Hiashi stood up at the end and bowed to him once as a sign of respect to Naruto.

All the people of the room were left speechless seeing the man's actions. Here, a clan head of a renowned clan was bowing to a five year old child. Naruto felt embarrassed upon seeing Hiashi bow.

"Hiashi-sama. Please, you do not have to bow to me. I'm only a child. It wouldn't be good for you. Plus, I believe any Konoha shinobi would have done what I did yesterday. After all, as my Jiraiya oji-chan always tells me, in our village everyone cares for each other have the will of fire burning in them which makes us protect one another!" Both Hiashi and Tsunade were stunned hearing the words coming from Naruto's mouth and smiled. However, Hiashi, Tsunade and even Hinata couldn't help but notice a somewhat solemn look on his face when he said the last part. Though Tsunade and Hiashi had suspicion as to what may make him sad, Hinata was confused and slightly sad seeing the somber look on her savior's face.

Hiashi chuckled a bit seeing how Naruto seemed to call Jiraiya an old man. He remembered how the Sannin disliked being called old. 'Everyone has a weak point, I suppose'. He mused.

"However, I am extremely thankful to you Naruto-san. The fact is, it was you and not another person who rescued my daughter." Naruto gave him a bright smile which somehow made Hiashi smile back.

"Naru-chan why don't you and Hinata-chan go play outside? I will talk to Hiashi-san in the meantime." Tsunade asked her son.

Even though Naruto was probably among the most advanced shinobi within his age group, he was still only a child and the prospect of playing outside and making more friends still excited him.

"Hinata-chan! Come on, let's go to the garden at the back and we'll play something." Exclaimed Naruto happily.

Hinata looked at her father and surprisingly she saw him nod. He never allowed her to play with other kids. So, she too felt excited.

As soon as she got up from her seat, her hand was immediately held by Naruto, who proceeded to drag her to the garden.

'Naruto-kun…'. Hinata thought with a huge blush on her face which was missed by Naruto.

Hiashi and Tsunade, however, saw how red Hinata's cheeks had gotten the moment Naruto held her hand and smiled at seeing the pair run outside.

* * *

 **So, that's a wrap! Next chapter, will mostly come on January 25th, 2017. Reason being is that, I will be traveling with my friends so I wouldn't be having internet for a few days. In any case, that I'm not able to update the chapter on Jan 25, it will be uploaded within the first three days of February.**

 **Well the next chapter will most definitely have Sasuke's reaction, Danzo's plot in this incident and reaction of Jiraiya as to how Naruto handled the situation. Also, how is life _might_ change in regards to his shinobi training since he doesnt have his innocence anymore. So, the next chapter will be slightly long. **

**Please do Follow, Favorite and Review the story! Will really appreciate more ideas regarding the story.**

 **Until next time!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author Notes- Hello fellow readers! I apologize again for the delay in upload of this chapter. I had been really caught up in my university assignments for the past few days and did not get much time to work on either of my stories. Rest assured, I will updating both the stories regularly now. Mostly in alternate weeks. But a chapter for each story will be posted every week from now on, unless I have some really important work.**

 **So, this chapter mainly talks about Naruto's dilemma and how he tries to overcome it. Also, this chapter serves as a foundation for events I have planned for later in the story. So, personally to me, this was an important chapter which I had to execute properly and I hope it's to everyone's expectations. Most of Naruto's and Hinata's story will begin after the deal with Kumogakure is done with. And in case if anyone's wondering, who Sasuke is going to be paired with, I really haven't thought about that. So, if anyone has any suggestions regarding that, you are welcome to PM me and I will take it into consideration.**

 **[Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.]**

 _ **Anyway let the story continue**_

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Naruto's Decision**

* * *

 _Indigo_

 _The same color as her hair._

 _Her hair, darker than the blue shade of a glacier under the moonlight._

 _The same color as the stains of the beautiful plants in his garden._

 _A beautiful intoxicating shade._

 _Her smile_

 _More beautiful than the first light at dawn._

' _Yes… I will always protect her.' He thought. He didn't know the reason, but watching her laugh shyly made him feel something inside. Something he had never felt before._

 _He saw her moving her lips, poking her fingers shyly and her cheeks getting slightly red._

 _He found it cute._

"Na... Naruto-kun?" Hinata said shyly.

 _He kept staring at her from his sitting position. The way her hair moved in front of her right eye cause of the light breeze was indeed a sight to behold._

 _He saw her trying to keep those few strands of hair in place, but failing every time. He smiled as he saw her puff her cheeks in frustration and giving up on it._

"Naruto-kun" Hinata said again, a bit more confidently now. That seemed to bring the blond boy out of his daze as he realized he must have spaced out.

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and said "Ah sorry Hinata-chan, I was lost in my thoughts. What were you saying again?"

"Would y… you like to go inside now? Tou-san may h… have to le… leave any time now" she said. She saw a tiny glimpse of sadness come over his eyes but it was gone as soon as it came.

Naruto nodded, deciding not to voice his thoughts about his feeling to stay with her more. Both quietly got up from their position and walked back inside the house.

He felt strange. Strange, as in he did not know how to describe his feelings.

Both had spent around an hour sitting at the gardens. Either talking a bit, sitting on the lush green grass or looking at the sky. There were moments when both were silent and moments when both unknowingly glanced at each other. Yet, the silence between them was not awkward. Rather, it was comforting.

For Hinata, she felt safe with Naruto.

For Naruto, he felt at ease around her.

 _It was the start of an everlasting bond between the two descendants._

* * *

 _ **At the Hokage Office**_

It was around half past ten in the morning in the village Hidden in the Leaves and Sarutobi Hiruzen could be seen sitting at his desk with a grim expression on his face.

He had two letters in front of him. One was to be delivered to the Raikage of Kumogakure and the other was for Jiraiya. It saddened his heart that Naruto, a child so young, had to take a life because of another person's greed. He knew how close Jiraiya was to the young boy and it would certainly anger Jiraiya on hearing of Kumo's actions.

He stared at the letter that was addressed to the Raikage and wondered if he was doing the right thing. It was a big gamble on his behalf. But Konoha needed more alliance right now. And from what he had heard from Minato, A, was a reasonable person when it came to the welfare of his village and his good friend.

His gaze then shifted towards the portraits of the Hokage that were hanging on the wall, to the side of the door.

 _Especially on the portrait of the Yondaime._

'Forgive this old man, Minato. I could not protect your son.' Sarutobi thought as he exhaled a deep sigh. Sarutobi was a pacifist individual. He always found the good in people and at times it was his good will that cost him.

Even after witnessing three great ninja wars and minor conflicts between villages during his lifetime, he still believed that the current shinobi world could change. Life expectancy in the ninja world had a very fragile value. Normally, one did not live past the age of thirty. Only a handful of shinobi whose battle skill and knowledge of the shinobi arts were well above the norms of normalcy lived past that age.

 _For Sarutobi, his battle prowess was a boon as well as a gift._

All he ever wished was to live in a world where young ones would not have to be killed in wars, where a village wouldn't turn on another because of greed, where little children would not have to sully their hands with blood.

 _Especially a place… where his wife was still alive._

He sighed again as he got rid of those feelings from his mind. It wouldn't dwell well for the leader of a village to drown themselves in the mistakes of the past. He bit his thumb, drawing out a bit of blood and went through a couple of hand signs, then slammed his hand on the desk saying,

" **Kuchiyose No Jutsu** "

In a puff of smoke, two small white colored monkeys appeared, standing on the Hokage's desk in front of Sarutobi.

"Ah Sarutobi! What did you summon us for?" Asked the smaller one named Shiro.

"Well, It's an important delivery mission. You must take this letter to Jiraiya as soon as possible and hand it to him. Tell him it's urgent." Sarutobi said as he gave the letter to the young monkey. Shiro gave a mock salute and immediately took off from the open window beside the Hokage's desk.

Sarutobi then turned towards the slightly bigger one and said "Kaneohe, you must take this letter to the Mailing department of Konoha and ask them to send it to the Raikage of Kumogakure No Sato immediately. It's of utmost importance." The monkey named Kaneohe took the scroll from Sarutobi and gave a firm nod before leaving the office too.

As soon as the two summons had taken off from the office, he slumped back into his chair.

"This job is hard… But now finally, I have some time to catch up on my reading." Sarutobi muttered perversely. He then opened his bottom most drawer, pulling out an orange colored book named _Icha Icha Paradise: Bath House Edition._

* * *

 _ **Underground Base North-East side of Konoha**_

Deep in the shadows of an underground cave, a man could be seen standing near the window looking out at the forests surrounding the beautiful Leaf village. He had a cane in his left hand and his face was turned slightly up as if looking at the blue sky.

"Soon…" he said.

"Soon… Hiruzen. No matter that it didn't go as planned. Sooner or later one of my aces will hit the mark and your weak pacifist ideals shall crumble down. The bonds you try to create within this village through your weak ideals is its very weakness." He muttered to himself.

'In any case, it was surprising for the jinchuriki to able to perform **Mokuton**. He'll mostly definitely be an ideal part of my plan… if I'm able to refurbish him per my likings.' He thought.

A few moments later, two figures landed behind him and kneeled.

"Danzo-sama, Sandaime-sama has sent a letter each to Jiraiya-sama and Kumogakure regarding the previous night's incident. Jiraiya-sama will probably arrive by tomorrow and the Raikage and his men will probably arrive at the village within the next four to five days due to the situation's importance." Said Torune.

"I see. I have no doubt that fool, A, would come here. I will need to be present during the meetings. Keep training our shinobi for Plan Shometsu. It's crucial for the utopia that we aim for."

Fu Yamanaka, a light blonde haired boy, got up from his kneeled position and went closer to Danzo.

"Danzo-sama, when should we move in to capture the Kyubi's jinchuriki?" He asked in a monotone voice.

"Leave him be for now. Let his skills develop further under Jiraiya and Tsunade. Our plan won't be put into motion for quite some time now due to the recent developments. A year or so prior to executing our plan would be an ideal time to capture the jinchuriki."

The two nodded as they heard their leader's words.

"Spread the news about the kidnapping of the Hyuuga Heiress and the fact that it was the jinchuriki who killed the kidnapper and saved her." Danzo said and dismissed the two root captains.

Torune and Fu nodded and swiftly disappeared with a **Sunshin**.

'It will be interesting to see if you tell the council about the boy's Mokuton Kekkei Genkai, Hiruzen.' Danzo thought wickedly.

* * *

 _ **At the Senju Compound**_

It was evening now and Naruto was idly lying on his bed. Tsunade had gone to meet with the Sandaime to discuss matters relating to the upcoming talks with the Raikage and his diplomats.

It had been hours since he was lying on his bed and just looking at the ceiling. Despite him telling everyone that he was okay, he was not.

Since childhood, he had been looked warily by the villagers of Konohagakure. He could watch how his mother got sad seeing him unhappy due to the villager's treatment.

And honestly, watching his mother unhappy always made his heart clench. He could take the glares from those villagers, but watching _his Kaa-chan_ sad broke his heart every time. So, he learned to endure. Not for himself. But for his mother.

It's human tendency to poke something to get a reaction out of it. People do it for amusement or as a source of outlet. But, if the reaction is taken away, there is no amusement in it for people. Ever since Naruto decided to not let the villager's glares affect him, it decreased slowly. For the first few months, it was only a few people and as a year passed since the incident, including the pink haired girl in the park, the majority of the population of Konohagakure seemed not to care about the jinchuriki.

For the past few hours, whenever he closed his eyes, all he could see was the look of horror on the face of that Kumo shinobi. It terrified him.

"Was it right for me to kill him?" He thought out loud.

He had thought about it a lot in the past few hours. The shinobi he killed probably had a family too. What about them? What is he to them? To the Hyuuga family, he is a savior, but to the people of Kumogakure and especially his family, he is a killer.

" **Yes** "

Naruto sat upright after hearing that voice. He looked around to see if anyone was nearby, but found no one. He closed his eyes and tried sensing anyone he did not know, yet he could not find anyone. Ever since he realized he could sense people's emotions, he made a point to recognize the chakra of people he was familiar with.

"Who is it?" he asked a bit warily.

" **It's the Kyubi boy.** " Said the massive chakra entity.

"How can you talk to me?" Naruto asked, surprised, all trace of wariness now gone from his voice. The Bijuu was mildly surprised too. No human, apart from _him_ , had ever spoken to him without a shred of fear present in their voice.

" **You do not have speak loudly. Think what you want to say. Do you want people to think that you are insane?"**

'Hey!' Naruto said indignantly. Even though Naruto couldn't see the bijuu, he knew the Kyubi was smirking behind the bars.

Naruto laid down on his bed and once again stared at the ceiling. 'But how can you talk to me this way and why do you think it was right for me to kill the shinobi?' he asked the bijuu again.

" **Every bijuu can talk to their jinchuriki through their mind. Once a jinchuriki visits their bijuu in their mindscape, a mind link is setup which allows us bijuu to talk to their jinchuriki. But you can shut out my thoughts, just like I can choose not to listen to yours.** " Said the Kyubi No Kitsune, surprising Naruto once again.

" **Do not fret over that shinobi. Killing is an aspect of the life you chose. Had you not done something, you and that girl would have died most definitely.** "

Even after hearing that, Naruto was not convinced about his actions. He felt there could have been another way for the matter to be resolved.

" **You cannot save everyone. Protecting one sometimes means leaving another behind. That is what this current system of shinobi world has created. The hatred that delve within humans has created the hatred in me. The way the different shinobi villages work today has created the distrust in humans today. It is not your fault that shinobi died last night. It is the result of the hatred festered from generations before, which the wretched humans have passed down in their family.** "

Naruto's five year old mind could not comprehend the gravity of the words completely which was said by the Kyubi. He was only five years old after all. He has never stepped outside the village. He still does not know how the world works. But he understood hatred. When you are subjected to an emotion from such a young age by many, you tend to understand it well. The fact that he could sense what people feel did not make things easier for him.

 _Sometimes, a gift considered by one, can be a curse to another._

'Then I will remove all the hatred in this world. If there is such a thing as peace, I will find it! I do not want people to be sad. That is my wish.' Thought Naruto with conviction.

" **You won't have an easy path. There will be a lot of bloodshed, lot of pain you must go through. Lot of people whom you must save. Can you bare the pain? The hatred of so many people?** "

'If my pain causes others joy, even if only slightly, then I would take it. I am the only one who can understand their pain, their hatred and their anger. I will take it all. I would do it for my precious village'. He thought passionately.

'I don't know if I can achieve everything on my own. But I know I will have my friends and family with me. I don't know how the world works yet, but I have hope that one day everyone in this world will understand each other. That there will be no more senseless killing.' He replied.

' **Ashura…** ' thought the Sanbi. He could not forget those words. The words spoken by his father's youngest son. He, too, had hope for this world. He too believed, that one day everyone would get along with each other. Alas, he died with his belief at the end, while his and Indra's descendants continued their bloody feud.

' **Maybe… he is indeed the one tou-san spoke about.** ' Sanbi thought as he a wave of nostalgia passed through his mind.

As Naruto continued to lay there, his eyelids started to close slightly as his tiredness started to catch up to him mentally. He didn't know for how long he was lying on bed, but his talk with the Kyubi had calmed his troubled mind immensely. His last thought before he fell asleep would mark the start of a wonderful friendship.

'Thank you Kyubi. Wou… Would you help me as I go ahead on my path?' Naruto thought as he fell asleep.

For someone who's known hatred all his life, it was a different feeling being thanked. No matter where he went, the only thing humans did was curse him, hate him and used his brethren and him for their own twisted means. But… this boy was not like them. The Bijuu could feel he was different. Someone meant for greatness and one who can change the world.

' **I shall stand by your side no matter what. Show me how you could change this world… Naruto.'** The Kyubi thought as he rested his head on his paws and closed his eyes.

* * *

 _ **Next Day, Konohagakure No Sato**_

It was five in the evening and the market streets of the village Hidden in the Leaves was bustling with activity. It was the month of January and several merchants traveled from across the elemental nations to sell their products in the various shinobi villages. Several such people could be seen standing in their stall/stands with a variety of materials displayed in front of them. Civilians and shinobi alike were coming in and out of shops and moving from one stand to another.

Among so many of these people, there was one young blond haired boy who was walking with his hands in pocket and looking down. At first glance, one might think the boy was walking aimlessly. However, he had walked along this path so many times in the past year that it was second nature to him now.

Yet again, Naruto had a lot going in his mind. Jiraiya had arrived in the village early in the morning and before anything, he went straight to the Senju Compound to check up on his godson. Just like Sarutobi had thought, Jiraiya had not taken lightly to Kumogakure's actions. Despite of his anger towards the Kumo shinobi, Jiraiya felt more worried than angry.

At first glance at Naruto's eyes, he could see the spark of innocence which was once evident in the blonde's eyes was now gone. Also, the matter of Naruto capable of using **Mokuton** was troubling to him.

Even to this day, **Mokuton** is regarded as a sacred Kekkei Genkai in Konohagakure No Sato. It is said that the entirety of Konoha was formed by the revered Shodai Hokage from his **Mokuton** abilities. So, the fact that Naruto, who is not even a Senju by biological birth, possessing the same ability as Hashirama Senju was puzzling. Yet, with the blonde's new-found abilities, Jiraiya believed Naruto's life would become bridled with more hardships. If the fact that Naruto is the container of the Kyubi No Yoko and Sanbi along with possessing **Mokuton** , through which he could very well control the two bijuus with proper control got out, it would put a hefty target on his head.

As Naruto neared the Uchiha Clan Compound, his mind wandered off to the events that unfolded during his training and he smiled.

 _Flashback_

 _Naruto looked around the training ground he was standing on. Naruto, Jiraiya and Tsunade were standing on Training ground 1, which was behind the Hokage Monument and was meant for the Hokage's personal use only. Like most of the training grounds Naruto had went to inside the village, this one was vast with various large trees around the edges. There was also a small pond on the west side of the training ground._

 _Jiraiya and Tsunade looked at Naruto curiously as he closed his eyes and just stood there calmly. Just as Tsunade was about to call out to her son, Naruto turned around with a wide smile on his face._

" _Hashirama-sofu. He trained here a lot, did he not?" Asked the little blond._

" _How did you know Naru-chan?" Tsunade asked as she composed herself. Naruto always seemed to surprise her with his uncanny abilities._

" _I can feel it. Hashirama-sofu's chakra. It's similar to mine. He was the only another shinobi who was capable of performing_ _ **Mokuton**_ _. Our chakra is bound to be similar to each other." Naruto surmised. Tsunade walked towards her son and ruffled his hair, which made him pout childishly._

 _Jiraiya who was standing quiet all the while stepped towards Naruto and said "You're right Naruto. This is where Hashirama-sama trained most of the time after the village was made. He and Tobirama-sama practiced in their respective ninjutsu here without any disturbance. You see, this training ground is special. Mito Uzumaki, Hashirama-sama's wife, had put a barrier around this training ground, so as only those whose chakra signature is stored in the barrier can be allowed entrance. At first, it was only Hashirama-sama's and Tobirama-sama's chakra signatures. Later, Sarutobi-sensei's chakra was added to it when he became Hokage. And after him, Yondaime Hokage's chakra was added to it." Jiraiya looked at Naruto again and saw how closely he was paying attention to each and every word he was saying._

 _He was glad all the meditation exercises which Tsunade and him made Naruto do in his earlier years worked well. It would have been impossible to make Naruto sit in one spot for more than few seconds earlier._

" _You see, this ground is a legacy of all the Hokage of Konohagakure No Sato. All of them have trained here during their time as leader of the village. One of the main reasons we brought you here is because of your_ _ **Mokuton**_ _ability. Your mother and I believe it will be best for you to train over here. As we told you, not many people have clearance to come to this training ground, so it will be safe to practice your_ _ **Mokuton**_ _techniques here. Over the past couple of years, you have trained extensively in physical exercises, strategical theories, chakra control exercises and the theory behind how to mold chakra. I believe it's time that you moved on to elemental manipulation of chakra." Jiraiya said seriously._

 _Despite the seriousness of the topic, Naruto had a wide smile on his face. He had seen Sasuke use_ _ **Katon**_ _jutsu so many times and he too wanted to learn which nature type his chakra was attuned to. He pumped his hands in the air victoriously and said "Yatta! Finally, I can show Sasuke some cool jutsu."_

 _Tsunade smiled seeing her son so happy. She had thought the incident day before yesterday had affected Naruto. She was glad he could smile despite all these circumstances._

 _Jiraiya and Tsunade then sat down on the grass and asked Naruto to sit in front of them._

 _Tsunade took out a small piece of paper and handed it over to Naruto as she thought 'His affinity will mostly be_ _ **Suiton**_ _and_ _ **Doton**_ _. But just to be sure, it's better to find it this way'._

" _What is this Kaa-chan?" Asked Naruto curiously, taking the piece of paper from his mother._

" _This is chakra paper, Naruto. But before we tell you anything further, tell me, what are the five basic types of elements and its applications for ninjutsu." Said Jiraiya sharply, hoping Naruto would give the correct answer after all the training that he was given._

" _There are five basic types of chakra into which the nature of chakra can be transformed, called Five Elements Nature Transformation. These five types are also called elements and are the origin of names of the Five Great Shinobi Nations. The five basic natures are all connected to each other in a circle, each being weaker than the one and stronger than the other. They are_ _ **Katon**_ _(Fire),_ _ **Suiton**_ _(Water),_ _ **Futon**_ _(Wind),_ _ **Doton**_ _(Earth) and_ _ **Raiton**_ _(Lightning). Apart from these five nature types, there are_ _ **Yin**_ _and_ _ **Yang**_ _nature types. These two are the most basic types of chakra which are present in all the humans. Yet, it is extremely difficult to master these due to the level of chakra control that is required." Explained Naruto briefly._

" _Accurate as always Naruto. That was a good detailed answer." Said Jiraiya proudly. He could see how much Naruto resembled Minato. Not only in terms of looks, but their knowledge about the basics of shinobi arts and their determination. He felt extremely proud to be able to teach Minato's son._

 _Seeing as Jiraiya was done speaking, Tsunade gathered Naruto's attention and spoke "Every person has chakra that has an affinity towards one of these types, a characteristic that seems to be genetic, since whole clans sometimes share the same affinity. Most members of the Senju Clan, for example, either had an affinity towards_ _ **Suiton**_ _or_ _ **Doton**_ _. Some members of the Senju Clan, such as Tobirama Senju, was so skilled_ _ **Suiton**_ _ninjutsu that he could convert the moisture in the surrounding environment and create water."_

 _Even though Naruto had heard stories of the Senju brothers, as Hashirama and Tobirama were often called, he was enthralled by it every time. He looked at his mother with a star eyed expression which made her sweat drop slightly. She knew how much Naruto loved to listen to stories of her grandfather and granduncle, but still… Naruto could be eccentric at times, she mused with a small smile._

 _Jiraiya smiled, seeing the interaction between mother and son. Coming back to the topic at hand, Jiraiya nudged Tsunade a bit to continue what she was saying._

" _Now, Naruto, there are certain elements which are made by mixing two or more elements together. Normally, shinobi are not able to use such elements if they do not have extreme control over their chakra or have a Kekkei Genkai._ _ **Mokuton**_ _is an element which is formed when_ _ **Doton**_ _and_ _ **Suition**_ _nature type chakras are simultaneously used together. So, we can be sure that your chakra is attuned to these two nature types." Tsunade said._

 _Naruto nodded his head, understanding what he was told just now. He closed his eyes as he seemed to ponder over a question._

" _Kaa-chan, Jiraiya oji-chan what would happen if a person tries to perform a jutsu of a nature type he does not have?" Naruto asked curiously._

" _That's a good question, Naruto. Usually, it would be extremely difficult for a person to master ninjutsu of that element, as it is not his nature type and it would require a lot of chakra. But it is not impossible. A person could still learn a technique of that element which he does not have, but it wouldn't be very effective. That is, unless they train vigorously in using that element." Explained Jiraiya._

" _So, how does one find their chakra affinity from this paper oji-chan?" Naruto asked._

" _As I said before, the paper you have in your hand is called chakra paper. It is a piece of paper made from a special type of tree. The tree is grown and fed with chakra. The paper is used to react to even the slightest hint of chakra in any number of ways, depending on the nature of chakra you have." Jiraiya said and he took another chakra paper from Tsunade._

 _He asked Naruto to watch him closely as he transferred a trace amount of chakra to the chakra paper. As soon as Jiraiya's chakra came in contact with the chakra paper, half of it crumbled to dust and the other half of it burnt to ashes._

" _So, you see that I have two chakra natures,_ _ **Doton**_ _and_ _ **Katon**_ _. If your affinity is_ _ **Katon**_ _, it will burn. If it's_ _ **Doton**_ _, it will crumble. If your affinity is_ _ **Futon**_ _, it will be sliced, if it is_ ** _Suiton_** _, it will become soggy or damp and if your affinity is_ _ **Raiton**_ _, it will wrinkle. Now channel your chakra into the paper and let's see what happens." Explained Jiraiya._

 _Naruto was feeling slightly anxious and he looked at his mother. She smiled and nodded for him to continue. Naruto then channeled chakra into the paper and the results were quite astonishing. At first, the paper got extremely damp, then it got sliced in half, but before it could reach the ground, one half of it crumbled to dust and the other half wrinkled._

 _Both Tsunade's and Jiraiya's eyes widened on seeing the results. They had expected Naruto to have two affinities at most, but for him to have four natural affinities at such a young age was truly mind boggling._

' _Impossible' thought Tsunade._

' _How is that even possible!' Thought Jiraiya._

" _Woah" Thought Naruto as he just stared at the fallen pieces of paper on the ground._

" _Tsunade! Are you certain that there's nothing wrong with the paper? It must be defective or something" Said Jiraiya as he still could not believe that Naruto had four natural nature affinities._

" _No, there's nothing wrong with it. I'm certain. I picked it up from Sarutobi-sensei yesterday when I went to meet with him." Said Tsunade._

" _But four? Is that even possible for a person to have?" Questioned Tsunade again._

" _I don't' really know." Said Jiraiya. "I can explain his_ _ **Doton**_ _and_ _ **Suiton**_ _affinity easily enough as it was an expected result, but as for_ _ **Raiton**_ _and_ _ **Futon**_ _… well it obviously came from Minato. Since he had both. But he naturally had_ _ **Futon**_ _affinity and later trained his_ _ **Raiton**_ _affinity which he gained during the Third Great Shinobi War. But, still, this is like one in a million chance. This is pure luck I suppose." Whispered Jiraiya softly to Tsunade as he was still baffled to what just happened._

" _This is so cool Kaa-chan, Jiraiya oji-chan! I can become super strong now!" Exclaimed Naruto in one of his rare childish moments._

 _Tsunade and Jiraiya soon calmed their nerves after the baffling discovery and stared at Naruto and how happy he seemed. They looked around themselves and saw how trees, plants and the grass looked much greener and livelier than before. They could feel the chakra Naruto was releasing unconsciously and it was calming. It was soothing. Even after getting a feel of Naruto's chakra so many times, it was hard for them to believe that his chakra was this powerful and so full of life energy._

 _As they continued to stare at little Naruto, both saw a visage that will etch this moment in their minds forever._

 _For Jiraiya, he saw an image of Minato standing behind Naruto with his right arm on his son's head and smiling at him._

 _For Tsunade, she saw Hashirama, Tobirama and Dan, Nawaki standing on either side of Naruto with proud smiles on their faces._

 _A single tear slipped down both their eyes, unnoticed by Naruto, as both saw a child who would one day change the world for good._

 _End Flashback_

As Naruto neared the Uchiha Compound, he could see Itachi standing there with Sasuke. He wondered if he should tell Sasuke about what happened two days back and felt a little apprehensive. He feared what Sasuke would think of him. He was scared if he would stop being friends with him because he took a life. Sasuke was his first friend in the village. He faltered in his steps for a second, but continued walking towards the Uchiha brothers.

Itachi saw the look of apprehension on Naruto's for a few seconds and he looked at Sasuke, who was standing beside him and turned his gaze back to the blond. He knew what Naruto must have been thinking. News of Naruto's actions had now spread to the entire village. He knew what Naruto did was in self-defense and did not blame the blonde whatsoever. Rather, he was proud that someone so young as Naruto could protect a citizen of Konohagakure No Sato.

As Naruto reached the two brothers, he waved his hands at them with a smile and said "Ohayo Itachi, Sasuke!"

"Hello Naruto." Sasuke replied with his usual not so cheery demeanor.

Sasuke immediately stood in front of him and gazed into his eyes. Naruto felt a bit unnerved because of the stare and thought Sasuke already knew about the incident involving him. He was going to going to say something when Sasuke suddenly put both his hands on his shoulders and said "Naruto, it's been a while since we trained together. Last time was probably two or three months back. Come on, there's a nice spot near the lake at the back of Uchiha Compound, we can train with Itachi nii-san without any disturbance!"

Sasuke immediately took off to the area near the lake after that. Naruto was about to go after him when Itachi stopped him. "Naruto-kun, walk with me. I wish to talk with you." Itachi said in a soft voice. Naruto nodded as both started walking towards their destination.

Sasuke who was ahead of them, noticed that Naruto was walking with his brother. Instead of deciding to go back and walk along with them, he sent chakra to his ears and decided to hear what the two were talking about. Itachi sensed Sasuke using a slight bit of chakra but did not make any comment on it.

In the past year, Sasuke too had intensively trained himself in the ways of molding and controlling his chakra inside his body. To say he was good would be an understatement. Itachi was considered the genius in the Uchiha Clan. A prodigy who could one day rival Madara Uchiha, if he reaches his prime age. But training Sasuke for so many months now, Itachi realized his brother was years ahead of him in terms of grasping the theory behind chakra. Itachi felt immense joy whenever he would watch Sasuke practice hard until dusk and then carry him back to the house.

"How are you feeling Naruto-kun?" Itachi asked, opting to start off things calmly.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Naruto was now sure why Itachi wanted to talk to him. Itachi and Naruto had a very friendly relationship. Itachi often helped Naruto with his training when he was free or oversaw Sasuke and Naruto training together. Naruto knew Itachi was a very observant person, so he realized there would be no point in trying to avoid the topic.

"I don't know nii-san. I guess I'm fine. But it will take time to forget the event." Whispered Naruto softly. That was another thing. Naruto rarely called Itachi _nii-san_. It was usually when something was weighing heavily on Naruto's mind and he did not know how to confront the problem. Yes, talking to the Kyubi, his mother and Jiraiya oji-chan had calmed him down immensely. But it did not make him forget the problem or the fact that he could still see the face of the dead shinobi when he closed his eyes. He needed someone to tell him what he was feeling was not abnormal. Someone other than his family to say that what he did was okay.

"I understand Naruto-kun. What you're feeling right now is normal. The life of a shinobi is hard. It's filled with hardships and a lot of difficult decisions. But it's those decisions you make that define the type of person you are. You are not a bad person, Naruto. You saved a young girl. A young girl who whose entire world only consisted of her family in Konoha." Itachi said as he and Naruto kept walking ahead. He wasn't looking at Naruto while speaking, but he knew the blond was listening to each word he was saying raptly.

"I was eight when I first saw my teammate die in front of me. We were out on a mission and our sensei was scouting the area. My teammates and I were sitting a few distances away. There we were confronted by a missing ninja. I was the youngest among everyone in my team and I was terrified when the missing ninja came to strike me with his katana. I was frozen at my spot. That's when my teammate suddenly came in front of me and took the fatal blow which ended in his death. That's when I had killed the missing ninja later realizing that my hesitation had cost an innocent life. The fact that you're feeling guilty towards killing an enemy proves that you're a good human. So, don't put yourself down for killing someone who was wishing harm towards your village." Itachi finished saying as he looked towards Naruto to gauge his reaction.

Itachi was glad when he saw a tiny glimpse of relief wash over the little blonde's face. Yes, Naruto felt relieved. What Itachi said did justify the reasons logically according to Naruto. Yet, that did not mean he enjoys the fact that he took a life. 'It will take some time getting used to the fact shinobi are supposed to kill to protect. But I wish we did not have to kill others.' Thought Naruto, albeit a bit sadly.

Soon enough, both Itachi and Naruto reached a small grassy land which could be used for training near the lake. Both saw Sasuke just standing there with his back turned to them. It was slightly strange. Even though Sasuke did not socialize with many children his age, he was a cheerful child in a way.

As Naruto approached Sasuke from behind, he saw him turn and saw a strange new look in his eyes.

"Fight me Naruto!"

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile in Kumogakure No Sato**_

Kumogakure No Sato or the Village Hidden by the Clouds is the hidden village of the Land of Lighting. The village is located in a range of tall mountains and is literally hidden in the clouds.

Like all the hidden villages, Kumogakure had a design somewhat similar to the other Great Shinobi villages, which were created during the founding of the hidden villages during the First Great Ninja War. However, unlike many nations, Kumo had not demilitarized themselves after the Third Great Ninja War. Aside from the children, nearly 75% of Kumogakure's population were ninja from the way they walked. Kumogakure had a large history of attempting to seek an edge over other hidden villages. During the First and Second Shinobi World Wars, Kumo had attempted kidnapping several people who possessed special abilities from Mizu No Kuni and Tsuchi No Kuni.

It was one of the only places in the elemental nations where most of the people had dark skin.

In the middle of the village, there was a large blue tower which was the Raikage Tower, built on top of the tallest mountain. It was similar in appearance to the Hokage Tower, except it was made of stone and concrete. Inside the Raikage's office at the desk sat a rather large man with what looked like a dumb bell in his hand. This was A, the Yondaime Raikage of Kumogakure No Sato. He was made the Yondaime Raikage following his father, the Sandaime Raikage's, death in a battle against 10,000 opposing shinobi. However, unlike the previous Raikage, A showed no interest in stealing another hidden village's bloodline.

A was a very large, muscular man with slicked back white hair and a small mustache. He was wearing his Kage hat and robe with a shirt underneath allowing others to see his hulk like physic. Each wrist had a gold gauntlet which looked extremely heavy at first glance. It was easy for anyone to tell that the man was a taijutsu specialist. One who most likely used his large frame to overpower his enemies.

After few minutes of lifting the dumb bell, A dropped it down which caused several cracks to appear on the floor and he went back to signing the papers which were kept on his desk.

"Damn you father! You just had to die and leave me to do this annoying job." Yelled A as he kept on signing the papers while muttering curses to his dead father.

Suddenly the door to his office opened and in walked his secretary, Mabui. She was a dark skinned young woman with green eyes. She wore very formal attire consisting of a long sleeved, high collared dress shirt and skirt, along with a pair of long earrings and sandals. She wore her light grey hair pulled back into a bun with two bangs that fell on either side of her face. Mabui possessed a unique technique that allows her to transfer matter over long distances at the speed of light. It was for this technique that she was made the Raikage's assistant.

"Raikage-sama. There's an urgent message from the Sandaime Hokage of Konoha. It's addressed directly to you." She said hastily as she handed the letter to A.

As A read the letter that was addressed to him, his facial features first turned to a scowl, then anger and when he read the last bit of information on the letter, it turned to one of utter disbelief.

He instantly got up from his seat and said, "Mabui, get me Bee immediately and tell him it's an order. Bee and I will be travelling to Konohagakure No Sato right away. Do not inform the council about our trip. I will deal with them once I get back from there. It's time to get rid of those idiotic fools." Shouted A with a bit of anger present in his voice.

Mabui was a bit taken back from his command but nodded nonetheless. She left the office to look for Bee, the guardian of Kumogakure No Sato or otherwise known as the Hachibi's (eight- tails) jinchuriki in other nations.

* * *

 _ **Near the lake at the back of Uchiha Compound, Konohagakure No Sato**_

Naruto was taken aback by the way those words were said. He could feel something was disturbing Sasuke, but he didn't know why. Meanwhile, Itachi who had a vague idea regarding his brother's sudden reaction decided stand nearby and see how the event unfolded.

"Why Sasuke? Why now?" Asked Naruto carefully.

"Just fight me. I want to see how I compare myself to you." He said.

' _I want to know… if I'm capable enough to protect you, my foolish little brother.'_ _Sasuke muttered to himself as he clenched his fists._

* * *

 **So, that's a wrap for this chapter. Next chapter will mostly be out by February 23rd or 24th, 2017. I want to be able to devote equal amount of time for both my stories to keep the fluidity in them, hence the time gap. Naruto: Uchiha No Densetsu will mostly be out by February 18th or February 19th, 2017.**

 **The next chapter will conclude Konoha dealing with Kumogakure and also the fight that will take place between Naruto and Sasuke. Sasuke's feelings regarding will also be brought into light.**

 **Please do Follow, Favorite and Review the story! Your suggestions and advices are extremely invaluable for the progress of the story.**

 **Until next time!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author Notes- Hello fellow readers! Took me a bit more time to update this chapter. I have a couple of tests coming up. So, I was busy studying for that. Anyway here it is now.**

 **I had told, I would finish up Raikage's meeting with the Hokage in this chapter. Unfortunately, I couldn't put all of that into this chapter as it would mess with the fluidity that I want the story to continue. This chapter mainly talks about how Sasuke feels. His confusion about how the shinobi world works as he heard different things from different people in the past. This chapter also portrays Itachi's and Sasuke's relationship.**

 **[Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.]**

 _ **Anyway let the story continue**_

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Sasuke's Inner Turmoil**

* * *

 _Previously_

' _I want to know… if I'm capable enough to protect you, my foolish little brother.' Sasuke muttered to himself as he clenched his fists._

 _Present_

Naruto and Sasuke stood at about fourteen feet from each other. They were standing at the bank of the Naka river, in the territory of the Uchiha Clan. Both standing there, unmoving and staring at each other. The wind moved freely making Naruto's golden blond hair sway a bit. He saw Sasuke clench his fists and avert his eyes. He couldn't understand why Sasuke was acting this way.

He looked at Itachi who was standing under a tree and looking at them without any expression. He saw the older Uchiha nod his head and understood the meaning behind it.

" _Don't worry Naruto-kun. If anything goes out of hand, I will intervene."_

"Are you going to fight me or not, Naruto?" Sasuke asked again through gritted teeth as he shut his eyes.

He was feeling anger. _Anger at the people who caused Naruto pain._

He was feeling hurt. _Hurt because, Naruto felt guilty for doing what he did and couldn't talk to him first._

So many different emotions were going through his mind right now.

He felt a slight tingling sensation in his eye, but kept it shut.

He didn't know why he felt so strongly attached to Naruto. It hurt him inside when he would see the blond sad. He had seen him hide his pain behind those goofy smiles of his for years now. He knew how much Naruto loved Konoha and the villagers. Naruto's love for the villagers was far greater than his dislike towards them. He understood that, when they spoke about each other's dream on top of the Hokage Monument.

Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath and exhaled calmly. 'I have to calm down. If he wants to fight, then fine.' He opened his violet eyes and looked at Sasuke with a determined expression.

"Alright Sasuke. If that is what you want. I will give it to you."

Sasuke's only response was to open his eyes and stare at Naruto with his sharingan eyes. His once coal-black eyes had now turned blood red with two tomoes present in each.

 _An Uchiha's love for their people is far greater than anyone in this world. It is said that, the sharingan is the eye than shows the hidden emotions of a human. As Naruto stared into Sasuke's sharingan and felt the waves of emotions surging from him, he understood one thing._

' _How much do you love me nii-san?'_

Itachi widened his eyes seeing Sasuke's sharingan. 'His love for Naruto is far greater than I imagined.'

Naruto was quite shocked seeing Sasuke's sharingan. His feet fumbled a bit but he regained his composure quickly. Those blood red eyes were unnerving indeed. But Naruto knew, the one standing before him was his friend, his brother. His mother had told him about the Uchihas a lot and about their prized doujutsu- Sharingan, the eyes that can see through a person's soul.

Naruto and Sasuke stood facing one another, each in their respective family taijutsu katas. Naruto knew he was strong, but he had never faced or trained with someone possessing a sharingan. Hence, he decided to take this fight seriously.

He relaxed his mind and body making a single hand seal with his left hand and said, " **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** ", creating two identical replicas of himself. Wordlessly, they all charged towards Sasuke at an impressive speed. Naruto saw his brother like figure neither smiled or tensed. He simply waited there calmly in his position.

As soon as the clones reached near Sasuke, the first one threw a hard punch towards his left cheek bone, while the second one went for a leg sweep from the right. While all of this was happening, Sasuke could see the attacks coming towards him clearly, as if the time itself had slowed down. In a swift motion, he swatted away the punch that was aimed at his cheek while jumping up. As he swatted away the punch, he gave a hard kick to the face of the second clone, who stumbled back a few distances and dispelled itself. Seeing the second clone dispelled, the first one rushed towards Sasuke again and the two engaged in a quite a fierce display of taijutsu. While Naruto's clone had a lot of power packed behind each of his punches and kicks, Sasuke could maneuver around them nimbly and evade the attacks easily. As Sasuke ducked under another punch, he twisted the clone's body, swatting it's punch up and away, he then gave a strong palm thrust to the clone's torso. The clone suffered quite a blow and skidded a few meters back. Yet, before the clone could process anything, Sasuke drove his fist into the clone's chin, knocking it the ground and eventually dispelling it.

'Interesting… he seemed to be able to read my clone's movements easily. So, his sharingan helps him in predicting the opponent's movements." Thought Naruto with surprise as he received the memory of the last clone.

This was one of the main advantages of the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**. It distributes the caster's chakra into equal amounts within the clones. Each clone had an independent personality and were capable of self-thinking. They could be used in fights as they can withstand several strikes, if the clone has enough chakra. They were extremely useful when spying behind enemy lines and could also be used for training purposes. The main reason for the jutsu to be label as a **Kinjutsu** was because of the required chakra. But for Naruto, chakra was not an issue.

"Is that all you got Senju?" Sasuke taunted. All those taijutsu training he had done with Itachi and on his own were finally showing results. Naruto's eyebrow twitched slightly on hearing that remark. He took out four shurikens from his pouch on his right leg and threw it towards him at a fast speed while performing a few hand signs.

" **Kage Shuriken no Jutsu** "

The four shurikens multiplied into a hundred shuriken and were heading towards Sasuke at a dangerously fast speed. Reacting quickly, Sasuke took out his kunai and started deflecting them with quick blocks. He was extremely grateful to his sharingan now, as it was helping him keep track of each one of the shurikens easily.

As Naruto saw him deflect all the shurikens away in an impressive way, he sunshined right in front of Sasuke and attempted to send a right hook to his face. Seeing Naruto's movement, Sasuke quickly blocked the attack with his left hand and made a leg sweep at Naruto's legs. The Uchiha knew Naruto had put a lot of power in that hook as he could feel his left hand slightly bruised. But before Naruto could defend, he was already on the ground as he lost his balance. He back flipped a few meters away from Sasuke to avoid a kick that Sasuke had aimed at his chest.

'If I try to fight him head on in taijutsu, I will suffer some serious damage. As expected of the members of Senju Clan. They sure have immense physical strength… I will have to use it then' thought Sasuke in a span of a couple of seconds and started going through a few hand seals.

As Sasuke finished the last hand sign, he put his ring finger and thumb joined together in front of his mouth and said

" **Katon: Gokayaku no Jutsu** " and breathed out a large ball of fire that was headed straight towards Naruto.

'Shit! That thing is huge!' Naruto thought, as he quickly performed the **Kawirami no Jutsu** and substituted himself with a log of wood. However, Sasuke had already seen the build of chakra within Naruto and knew what he was planning.

Before Naruto could release a breath of relief, he had to be immediately on guard as he saw Sasuke run straight towards him.

'He's really fast...' Naruto thought. He had to put a lot of strength in his hand to block Sasuke's punch with his left hand. He looked straight at Sasuke to meet his gaze and saw him glaring with his sharingan. Both Naruto and Sasuke then pulled their right hands back and poured their remaining strength in their fist and punched each other in their left cheek. The force of the impact was too much as they both were thrown back on to the ground, with bruised cheeks.

Itachi who was silently observing the fight from far decided to intervene and sunshined in between the two.

"That's enough. There is no need to continue this." Itachi said in a commanding tone. 'They are both incredibly strong for their ages. I doubt even I was that good.' He looked towards Naruto and thought, 'His taijutsu is incredible. Though he is young, he has a lot of strength. No doubt, Tsunade-sama's been helping him with that.'

While Naruto nodded as he never wanted to fight his closest friend, Sasuke settled with a grunt, 'Hn'.

Itachi looked up at the sky and knew it was time for the Uchiha Clan meeting. A few months back, the Uchiha Clan had started keeping regular meetings. Now, that he was chunin, his father had requested his presence within Council Chambers. He doubted anything good will come out of the discussions. He wasn't blind to the treatment given to the Uchihas by the village elders. Many of them believed the cause of the attack five years ago to be the Uchihas. He released a tired a sigh and looked at his brother.

"Sorry Sasuke. I must go now. I will train you some other time okay?" he said in a kind voice. Sasuke felt like saying something. He had seen Itachi do this quite often in the past few months. So, he just settled for nodding as he lied on the ground looking at the sky. Itachi did not say anything further and sunshined out of the area.

Naruto looked at Sasuke sadly and went closer to him. He lied down beside him and he too stared at the sky.

"What happened Sasuke?" Naruto asked sadly.

"Why couldn't you talk to me about what happened to you earlier Naruto?" Sasuke in a low voice as he continued to look at the sky.

Naruto felt his heart beat increase when he heard the question. He was worried what Sasuke would think about him. He didn't want his only friend to look at him warily and like everyone else.

Naruto looked away from Sasuke and said in a hushed voice. "D… Do you hate me now? Do you think I'm a murderer?"

Not even a second later Naruto found himself held in the air by the hem of his shirt. He looked down and saw Sasuke glaring at him with his sharingan.

"HOW COULD YOU EVEN SAY THAT?" Sasuke yelled.

In that moment, Naruto saw something in those sharingan eyes that he would never forget. It terrified him.

 _Hate. Insurmountable hate._

 _Not for him. For the shinobi who caused him pain._

And it was gone, as soon as it came.

Naruto looked away in shame. "I'm sorry Sasuke. I shouldn't have asked that question."

Sasuke's eyes softened a bit hearing that. No matter what, he could never hate Naruto. The blond was the only one who understood him completely. It was strange indeed. They were from rival clans, and yet they understood each other completely. Even though they weren't related by blood, they felt like brothers.

"You did the right thing Naruto. Had you not killed that shinobi, you would have died. My nii-san and tou-chan always tell me, killing is part of the shinobi world. You may not like doing it, but shinobis are those who endure pain and fight from the shadows." Sasuke said solemnly. Naruto was amazed the way Sasuke was talking. He knew Sasuke was much smarter than him and that's why he always listened to each and everything he said with rapt attention.

"I know Sasuke. I understand."

The two laid on the ground again as a comfortable silence took over. Naruto noticed a slight change in Sasuke's demeanor, but couldn't exactly pin point it. So, he decided to leave it for now. 'It couldn't be much drastic anyway…' he thought.

 _Only if he knew…_

"Sasuke, I have to go. It's getting late. Kaa-chan must be worried about me." Naruto said as he got up from his position.

Sasuke looked at Naruto and nodded. He didn't feel like speaking right now. Naruto understood his friend and waved him goodbye. He disappeared to the Senju Compound then, in a sunshin.

It had been around an hour after Naruto had left and Sasuke was now walking back towards his house. He had been thinking a lot on different subjects since then.

 _What is a true shinobi?_

 _What is the duty of a shinobi?_

 _What is the meaning of the village?_

Whatever he knew about being a shinobi and about the village was told to him from someone else's view. But he wanted to find out the meaning behind those on his own. He wanted to view things in his own perspective.

As Sasuke was about the enter the doors of the main house within the Uchiha Compound, he suddenly looked towards his left near the wall with his sharingan active.

'I thought I saw someone there.' Sasuke thought cautiously as he entered his house.

"So… it was you who inherited mother's powers… I will always be watching you my dear Sasuke…" said a dark black figure who rose from the ground near the wall.

* * *

 _ **Next Morning, Senju Compound**_

After Naruto reached home last night, he immediately went to bed after having dinner. He was told someone special would be coming to meet him in the next two or three days. Even though he had asked several times who it was, Jiraiya just waved him off saying it's worth the wait. As he laid in bed last night, he had thought a lot about his fight with Sasuke. He knew he had more stamina and strength compared to him. But that was the only thing which had favored him during the fight. He was sure, in a straight out taijutsu fight, he would have won. He wasn't sure about his chances of winning had the fight continued. Since he had started training with Sasuke a few years back, he quickly realized while he was good in shinobi arts because he worked extremely worked, Sasuke was rather gifted in the field. He had seen how quickly Sasuke learnt the shurikenjutsu while it took him some time to get it right. Even though he knew the fact Sasuke was better than him in various aspects, instead of forming a sense of envy, he admired him even more. He was amazed how quickly, Sasuke could adjust to the sharingan and the fact he could use ninjutsu so effortlessly.

Currently, Naruto was sitting in a meditative pose in the gardens at the back of the main house of the Senju Compound. He had been sitting in that position for the past few hours. Meditation was one of the best ways to get a feel of the chakra flowing inside one's body. The more you feel tuned with chakra, the easier it becomes to control the flow of it. Meditation also helped in calming one's mind. The infusion of chakra is the mingling of the essence of one's spiritual energy and physical energy. The more one becomes in control of their mind, the stronger their spiritual energy becomes.

Another reason why Naruto was doing this was to get a better feel of how to use his **Mokuton** abilities. Hashirama Senju was the only shinobi other than him who could perform **Mokuton.** Unfortunately, the man wasn't alive any more who could guide Naruto in the right direction. Although, he had left several notes on his Kekkei Genkai in the Senju Clan library in the hope that one of his descendants could use the same ability as him. Meanwhile, Tsunade was busy searching for those notes in the library, Jiraiya had advised Naruto to better understand the flow of his own chakra and become more attuned to it.

He had been told **Mokuton** was a combined nature transformation of **Doton** and **Suiton** natured chakra. So, to be able to perform **Mokuton** he was mainly focusing on the **Doton** and **Suiton** chakra inside his body. Jiraiya was calmly sitting beside the blond and watching him meditate. Behind Naruto there were two more Naruto clones who had one leaf in each of their hands. While one clone was trying to crumble the leaves in his hands to dust, the other was trying to dampen the leaves. Even after hours of continuously doing it, the Naruto clone trying to make the leaf crumble to dust had barely managed to change the nature of the leaf. It was frustrating for him.

Jiraiya watched the clones bemusedly as they were giving their full concentration on their tasks with beads of sweat rolling down their forehead. It reminded him of the time, when he, himself was attempting nature transformation exercises for the first time. It was a hard and tiring attempt indeed. Jiraiya had been training the blonde since the past few years and was surprised every time with rate at which Naruto learned different things.

'Guess, he finally found something which he can't learn within a day.' Jiraiya chuckled inwardly when he saw one the clones crush the leaves in his hands in frustration.

Another two hours passed by and Naruto had still been sitting in the meditative pose. Jiraiya was impressed with the patience the blond exhibited and a slight somber expression etched on his face. Naruto was an exact replica of Minato in about everything. Jiraiya missed his former student dearly. He often found himself gloomy and drinking sake in a bar alone for no reason. He still couldn't forger that night, when Minato said he would sacrifice himself for the future of the village. He couldn't be any more proud or sad at the same moment. He got such thoughts out of his head as smiled slightly looking at Naruto. The kid had fine qualities to become Hokage in the future.

"Yatta! Finally, I did it!" shouted a Naruto clone as he jumped up and down in excitement. Jiraiya turned his head towards the clone and saw it was the one which was trying to dampen the leaves in his hands.

"Oh, shut up. Stupid fool!" exclaimed the second Naruto clone as he had only managed to crumble a three-fourth of the leaf to dust. The first Naruto clone's shoulders slumped in depression as a dark cloud started looming above him. Jiraiya sweat dropped at the clone's antics.

Jiraiya clapped his hands once to gain Naruto's attention. "Alright, that's enough for now. You have made good progress today." Even though Jiraiya had said that, he was amazed how quickly the boy was able to get the hang of it. Most shinobi could not convert their chakra into a different nature so quickly given only a few hours, while Naruto was almost there.

Naruto slowly opened his and saw it was past noon now. He saw Jiraiya giving him a warm smile and smiled in return. He looked behind himself and ordered his clones to dispel themselves. As soon as the clones dispelled themselves, the memories of the clones entered his mind. He understood the way they two clones were converting their chakra into **Doton** and **Suiton**. The precise amount of chakra that was used by the first clone to dampen the leaves and where the second clone was going wrong to crumble the leaves to dust. Naruto slowly got up from the ground and walked to a nearby bush and plucked two leaves from them. Jiraiya eyeing the boy curiously, walked towards him.

"What are you doing Naruto?" He asked curiously.

"Just watch oji-chan." Naruto replied in a calm voice.

In the past few hours, he understood a lot about his chakra. Ever since he had awakened **Mokuton** , he realized his chakra flow had become much smoother compared to before. The Kyubi had explained him how the seal that contained him and the Sanbi worked. The seal absorbed a small amount of the Kyubi's and Sanbi's chakra every day and added it to Naruto's own chakra circulatory system. This not only increased the volume of Naruto's chakra but also the potency. Thus, making the flow of his chakra slightly turbulent. But, when he awakened his dormant Kekkei Genkai, the serene and tranquil essence of the **Mokuton** chakra not only increased the potency of his life force and chakra but also calmed down his turbulent chakra flow, having a soothing and relaxing effect on the bijuus inside of him, thus increasing his control over his enormous chakra pools.

As Naruto took the two leaves in each of his hand, he closed his eyes to focus. A few seconds later, he opened his eyes and transferred his chakra into the two leaves. The leaf in his right hand immediately became extremely damp indicating he had used **Suiton** natured chakra, while the leaf in his left hand immediately crumbled to dust, signifying he used **Doton** natured chakra in through his left hand.

'He actually did it!' thought an incredulous Jiraiya.

"I did it oji-chan" voiced Naruto as he grinned happily. Jiraiya couldn't help but see an image of Minato in Naruto. He still remembered the day when he had started Minato on his elemental training. While Minato was a genius among prodigies, Naruto was… he honestly didn't know how to describe the boy. He may not be as sharp as Minato, but he manages to surprise him every time. However, looking at the little boy, he was sure if anyone could surpass the Yondaime, it would be him.

Jiraiya rested his hand on Naruto blonde hair, looking at him with a serious face for a few seconds. His facial expression then softened as he said, "I'm really proud of you Naruto."

* * *

 _ **Border between Land of Frost and Land of Hot Springs**_

Two people could be seen hopping from one tree to another at a fast pace on the outskirts of Shimogakure, in the Land of Frost. They had been traveling at a similar pace from the past one day with a couple of stoppages in between to recover their lost chakra, even though it was negligible. They were currently nearing the border of the Land of Hot Springs and their destination, Konohagakure No Sato was probably a day or two away if they continued travelling at their current pace. To the civilians, these two shinobi were a mere blur, while for these two, those who knew them would say was a normal occurrence. While one of them sculpted a serious looking face with his white colored eyebrows furrowed, the other one was scribbling something in his little notebook. But if one were to notice him closely, they would see even he had opted a slightly serious face.

The two shinobi were A, the Yondaime Raikage of Kumogakure No Sato and Killer Bee, the Hachibi Jinchuriki and the guardian of Kumo.

The reason for their serious demeanor was due the content of the letter which was addressed to the Raikage by the current Sandaime Hokage of Konoha.

'What were you thinking Namikaze?' A thought furiously as he jumped from the branch his foot landed to the next with extreme force, causing cracks to appear on it.

 _Flashback_

 _As A opened the letter, he unfolded the paper to read it properly._

 _To,_

 _Yondaime Raikage of Kumogakure no Sato, A_

 _I regret to inform you that the Kumogakure Diplomat you had sent to our village for discussing the Trade Routes has been killed due to his actions. He was caught escaping the village with the current heiress of the prestigious Hyuuga Clan, Hinata Hyuuga, a mere five year girl. After his death, his mind was searched by a member of our Interrogation Department as per protocol. We have evidence linking his actions under the orders of few people from the Kumogakure Council. We also believe, you had no idea of your shinobi's transgressions and he acted outside of your knowledge. So, I would request you to come to Konoha to settle this matter without the knowledge of your own council._

 _Also, I understand that Minato and you were good friends after the Third Shinobi World War had ended. Do not be surprised Raikage-sama. Minato had informed me about the time he rescued your brother, Killer Bee and you during the Mission IA. So, I'm aware of everything that took place. I believe you were saddened upon hearing the Yondaime Hokage's death. However, not known to anyone outside the village and even majority of the population within our village, Minato had a son._

 _Naruto Namikaze. He was the one, who rescued young Hinata from your shinobi and eventually killed him. He was adopted by Tsunade Senju into the Senju Clan by request from Minato and Kushina themselves, on the day of his birth. The Kyubi no Yoko and the Sanbi who attacked our village, a few years back are sealed into young Naruto. You realize how the life a jinchuriki is. Your brother himself houses the Eight Tails within him. Thus, I request you to bring your brother, Killer Bee along with you to meet young Naruto. Your safety in our village will be properly taken care of._

 _I would like our two villages to form an alliance with each other despite the rough start that we faced as of now. I believe you and Minato shared the same dream of peace. This could be the first step to it._

 _Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato,_

 _Hiruzen Sarutobi_

 _Flashback End_

Bee was following his brother at an even pace. He knew the gravity of the situation. While he wasn't told about Naruto being the jinchuriki of the Nine and Three Tails, he was told about him being Minato's son by A. Minato had immediately gained Bee's respect when he saved him and his brother from the clutches of the butchers in Iwagakure during the Third Great Shinobi War. Mission IA was Minato's crowning achievement which helped his ascension to the position of the Yondaime Hokage.

Despite being from an enemy village, Minato had saved the brothers as he could sense they were different from the other shinobis in Kumogakure. While in Sage Mode, Minato had the ability to feel people's chakra signatures as well as emotions. A and Killer Bee had never been more grateful to anyone. They had indeed been down upon hearing of Minato's death during the Kyubi and Sanbi attack five years ago. Thus, hearing he has a legacy left behind who's none other than the son of Slug Sannin, Tsunade Senju was indeed quite a shock to them.

"Get your speed up Bee. We need to cross the border between Land of Fire and Land of Hot Springs by tomorrow." Grunted A, as he increased the amount of chakra flowing around his body which caused the lightning to sparkle more and doubling his speed.

"You got it Brother!" yelled Bee, as he too increased the chakra flowing in his legs, tripling his speed.

* * *

 _ **Uchiha Compound Training Ground, Konoha**_

It was late evening, around seven, in the village of Konohagakure. In one of the training grounds within the Uchiha Compound, Itachi Uchiha and Sasuke Uchiha could be seen sparring with one another. Both had their sharingan activated. While Itachi had a fully matured sharingan, three tomoes in each eye. Sasuke had two tomoes in each. It came as a surprise to the entire Uchiha Clan that young Sasuke had activated his sharingan at a mere age of five. His father, Fugaku Uchiha, the current Head of the Clan had been extremely proud of his younger son and so were the other members. Great things were expected of the young prodigy.

Itachi and Sasuke were engaged in a fierce display of taijutsu. There was finesse in their style. While Itachi could predict most of Sasuke's movements even without the sharingan, Sasuke had to rely on it heavily to detect Itachi's every move. They jumped back from each other to catch some breath. Even though Itachi was far advanced than Sasuke, even he got tired after hours of just taijutsu practice. For a second he wondered, how it was that Maito Guy managed to go on for hours and hours without a single break. Getting his mind back to Sasuke, he was simply amazed at amount of stamina shown by his brother. Even though, he was not showing a hint of emotion on his face, inwardly he was immensely proud of Sasuke.

Itachi was pretty much untouched except for a bit of dust here and there, while Sasuke on the other hand was supporting several scrapes and bruises.

As both ran towards each other again, both of their sharingan started glowing. Sasuke threw a right hook and it was about to land perfectly on Itachi's jaw. But he ducked under it at the last second and gave Sasuke a hard punch on the ribs that sent him skidding back a few meters. Sasuke snarled as he was thrown back.

Itachi quickly ran towards Sasuke and taking advantage of his lapse of concentration, threw a series of quick punches to his face. To Itachi's surprise, Sasuke's maneuvered around each of them and gave a brutal upper cut to Itachi's face, sending him down on the ground. With great flexibility, Itachi back flipped and landed on his feet, a few meters away from his brother. Sasuke charged again at Itachi and threw a punch which was sidestepped by him, who in return gave Sasuke an elbow to his back that made the younger Uchiha fall to the ground as he lost his balance.

"That's enough Sasuke." Itachi said as he brushed off the dust that accumulated on his uniform.

"I still cannot come close to beating you nii-san" Sasuke said muttered under his breath as he nursed his ribs. 'Damn, he hits hard. Just like Naruto.'

Itachi sighed hearing Sasuke's words and walked towards Sasuke to sit beside him. He put his hands over Sasuke's chest and they started glowing green chakra. Sasuke started to feel better as he realized his brother had used medical ninjutsu to heal his bruises.

After he was all healed up, he laid down on his elbows on the ground and closed his eyes momentarily. Itachi looked at Sasuke amusedly. He had seen Sasuke being a lot more reserved since he awakened the sharingan. He could see, Sasuke was in deep thought, so he didn't speak anything.

A few minutes had passed and both had not spoken a word. Itachi started to feel slightly uneasy and decided to voice his concerns.

"Is there anything wrong Sasuke?" Itachi asked suddenly, making Sasuke open his eyes.

"Nii-san, what is the meaning of the village? What is a true shinobi?" asked Sasuke genuinely. He wanted to know what they meant. His father and Naruto had completely different views of these questions. While his father thought of a village as nothing more than a foundation of set of systems which governs a set of rules, Naruto thought of the village as the people residing within it and children is what made up the future of this village.

Although Itachi was shocked on hearing the question, he saw Sasuke looking at him expectantly and gave him a kind smile.

"A village is a place where people come together. It is a place where everyone put aside their differences. A place where the children and the old are protected. A place where people settle down and can spend their life in peace." Said Itachi.

"What is the duty of a shinobi? Is it just causing other people more harm? Is it following any orders without any questions? Even if the consequences of the order bring nothing but sadness? Aren't ninjas supposed to protect?" asked Sasuke with sadness in his eyes.

Itachi put his hand on Sasuke's head and lifted his chin with his other hand, so he could look in his eyes. When he looked at Sasuke's sharingan eyes he saw pain, hurt and knew he had to say something right.

"It's true Sasuke. That we shinobi are supposed to protect. But as ninjas, killing is a common occurrence in our shinobi system. Our world has a lot of darkness in it. But there's also light. While some people become ninja only to enjoy the thrill to kill, there are also others who have an intense desire to protect that they hold close to their heart. I won't lie to you, the way our current shinobi system is heading, there is not light at the end of it. But, still we go forward, not for our sake but for the sake of whom we love. There is always hope in this world. All it needs to change the world is the will of a single man. Hashirama Senju, the former Clan head of the Senju Clan single handedly put a stop to the Era of the Clan Wars. He along with Madara Uchiha were the one who founded our village, Konohagakure No Sato." Itachi said carefully.

Sasuke looked at his older brother sadly and nodded his head as he looked towards the sky.

"Maybe if you become strong enough Sasuke, you could change the dark path our shinobi system has taken and bring peace to it. You have great power within you Sasuke. One day you will become a shinobi of immense power… I believe in you outoto." Sasuke stared at his brother again with disbelief in eyes. No one had ever told him, they believed in him.

"Do you really believe so nii-san?" Sasuke asked softly as he averted his gaze from Itachi's eyes and heard him say "Hai". He looked up back at sky and wondered, 'Peace? Change the shinobi system?'

Itachi picked up Sasuke from the ground surprising him and put him on his back. Sasuke felt slightly embarrassed but he was glad, Itachi was there in his life.

Itachi continued walking towards the house with Sasuke on his back in comfortable silence, until he heard Sasuke mutter a few words softly.

"Will you be always there for me nii-san?"

"You're my brother Sasuke. I'll always be there for you, even if it's just as an obstacle for you to overcome." Itachi said deeply.

Sasuke started to have a few tears in his eyes, he knew how deeply Itachi loved him.

"Even if you do hate me, I'll always protect you. That's what big brothers are for." Said Itachi softly.

Sasuke looked at his brother confusedly as he tried to wipe away his tears. He didn't know why his nii-san thought he would ever hate him. That could never happen… could it?

Neither Itachi nor Sasuke noticed a strange white plant like creature that was following them.

* * *

 _ **Two Days later, Gates of the Konoha Village**_

It was night time at the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The forest surrounding the village was dense and did an excellent job in providing a cover for the shinobi village. Two people could be seen walking towards the village gates at casual pace. Judging from their silhouettes, both had large builds and the larger of them was wearing a hat of some sort and a robe around him.

They slowly walked towards the gates and stopped near a small white cabin that was to their right. The one wearing the hat and the robe asked his partner to follow him behind as they walked towards the cabin. As they reached the window of the cabin, they saw two shinobis wearing uniforms who looked to be dozed off from the looks of it.

The larger of them coughed once to gain sleeping shinobi's attention. The two shinobis hearing the voice slightly opened their eyes to see a large figure outside their window. One of them yelled loudly imagining the figure to be an animal, which irritated the figure outside to no end, while his partner snickered behind his back.

"Izumo! Look at him properly. It's not a damn animal you fool. Wake up. It's Raikage-sama!" said one of the shinobi inside and shook the one named Izumo vigorously.

Izumo rubbed his eyes few times to remove the sleep from them and immediately bowed his head slightly, as he saw the kanji for 'Lightning' on the hat.

"You should have told me sooner Kotetsu." Whispered Izumo.

Kotetsu only shook his head and sighed at his partner's antics. Kotetsu and Izumo were the gate guards of Konoha. These two were chunin level shinobis and despite their rank, they never took any missions outside the village. Rather, opting to lead a comfortable life as gate guards. However, due to their unfortunate luck, the Sandaime had made them do guard duty for the last four years, which gained them the title of 'Eternal Guards'.

"What business do you have here Raikage-sama?" asked Kotetsu professionally.

"We were asked by the Sandaime Hokage to come here for a meeting." Said A, as he presented the Hokage's letter and his and Bee's passports to him. Kotetsu checked their passports for security purposes and marked their entry in it within the log book.

A couple of ANBU landed near the gates of the village a few seconds later to escort the Raikage and his partner inside.

An ANBU wearing eagle mask walked up to the Raikage and spoke, "Raikage-sama. Welcome to Konoha. Sandaime-sama has been informed of your arrival. He has requested you to be escorted to the Hokage's office immediately."

A settled for nodding his head in response as he and his brother were escorted towards the large white building in the center of the village with the kanji for 'Fire' inscribed at the top.

* * *

 **So, that's a wrap for this chapter.**

 **Next chapter will mostly be posted either on March 8 or March 10 2017. As I said, I have tests coming up, I will need some time to study for them. I had said, my other story "Naruto: Uchiha No Densetsu" will be posted on March 6, 2017. But I will try to post it a day or two earlier. In any case, I will be sure to post it by then.**

 **Next chapter, Naruto will be meeting the Yondaime Raikage A and Killer B for the first time. Naruto will not be told that Minato is his father. The friendly relationship between Minato, A and Bee will be explained in the later chapter at an appropriate time along with Mission IA. So, Naruto will be finally meeting another jinchuriki for the first time and how he will feel about it will also be shown.**

 **Chapter 11 onwards, will show Naruto's life in the academy.**

 **Please do Follow, Favorite and Review the story! Your suggestions and reviews are extremely prudent as it would also help me understand how to proceed from your point of views.**

 **Until next time!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author Notes- Hello fellow readers! I will be posting this chapter a few days early, as I will need a few days to come up with good material for the coming chapters for both my stories.**

 **Okay, so this chapter talks about Naruto meeting with Yondaime Raikage, A, and his brother Killer B. How Naruto tells them that he already knows about him being a jinchuriki. Also, this is my first time portraying characters from villages other than Konoha in my story. So, I apologize in advance if they don't exactly match to your perception of these characters. However, I would like to say that B would still be similar to as how he was in canon, in this story to some extent (suppose say, around 80%). But he will also have a serious personality at times. Again, why Minato was good friends with A and B will be explained in the later chapters.**

 **[Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.]**

 ** _Anyway, lets continue with the story_**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Truth**

* * *

 ** _Hokage Tower, Konohagakure no Sato_**

Sarutobi Hiruzen was a shinobi of unparalleled skilled during his prime. A wise and knowledgeable man who was under the tutelage of Tobirama Senju, the Nidaime Hokage. To be personally picked as the Sandaime Hokage was among the proudest moments in his life. He has sacrificed a lot for the sake of his village. Many would think the man, who was given the moniker of _Shinobi no Kami_ , to be invincible and fearless.

However, here he was, sitting in the Hokage office, a tiny bead of sweat rolling down his forehead. A few minutes ago, he was informed by a couple of his ANBU that the Raikage and his brother had arrived. Sarutobi knew the risk he was taking. It was an audacious move on his behalf, and frankly, it could very well end up starting another big friction between the villages if news ever got out. He could only hope that A and his brother would be understanding of the situation.

He didn't even want to think of Tsunade's reaction if the meeting didn't go well. The fact that Jiraiya and he did not inform her about this current one did not bode well with him. If there was anything the aged Hokage was wary of, it was Tsunade enormous strength. And a pissed off Tsunade would mean a sure death for him if her son's life was ever in danger.

'Damn you Jiraiya! Running away when it matters.' He thought as he drank a glass of water to calm his nerves.

As a few more minutes passed, he could sense the two foreign chakra signatures closing in. Soon enough, there was a knock on the door and the Eagle Masked ANBU walked in, followed by the Raikage, A, and his brother, Killer B.

"Hokage-sama." Said the Eagle masked ANBU with a bow.

"Thank you, Eagle. You may return to your previous duties." Sarutobi acknowledged. The eagle masked ANBU nodded and disappeared in a sunshin.

Getting up from his seat, Hiruzen walked and stood in front of the bulky Raikage. Without saying a word, he put his hand forward for a handshake. A stared at the old Hokage for a good one minute into his eyes and took his hand.

"Hokage-dono. I see you're doing well." A said.

"Yes, I am well. I'm surprised you got here this fast. I assumed you would take another day or so." Hiruzen said.

"The matter was of the upmost importance. So, we had to get here as soon as possible. I need to know if what you wrote was true or not." A said with seriousness within his voice.

"Yes, A-dono. I will answer all your questions. Let's have a seat and discuss it, shall we?" Sarutobi asked, looking at both A and Killer B.

As the two brothers sat on the chairs in front of the Hokage's desk, Sarutobi walked back to his own chair and sat down. He glanced at the two brothers seriously before making a hand seal and activating the privacy seals within the office.

"A, what I'm about to confirm to you is a very well-guarded secret of Konohagakure. I'm sure you know what would happen if anyone else got wind of his son's existence." Sarutobi said as he looked at the Raikage straight in his eyes gravely.

At that moment, A saw a glimpse of why the man before him was regarded as the strongest shinobi. Though old, Hiruzen still had it in him to go toe to toe with the current Kages and come out victorious.

"I understand Hokage-dono. To this day, I haven't forgotten what Minato did for my brother and me. He was a good friend to me. I wouldn't put his family in danger if that is what you're implying." Replied A, saying the last bit with a slight frown.

"I apologize Raikage-dono. It's important that you understand the situation. I'm sure you know Minato made a lot of enemies during the Third Shinobi War. If it wasn't for him, I doubt our village would still be standing. So, if anyone came to know he has a living son… it wouldn't bode well with our village."

"I had always been taught not to bow heads in front of anyone, especially someone from another shinobi village. To hold your village above everyone else's and not show any kindness to enemies. In a way, I still believe that. But, Minato was different. Even though we were enemies, he saved my brother and I from our deaths. I would never forget that. As long as I live, nothing shall happen to Minato's son or his family. Kumogakure shall help Konoha when they require it. I give you my word." A said, shocking Hiruzen.

"I'm not doing this out of thankfulness Hokage-dono. Minato and I were good friends. He was different from many of the people I knew. He spoke about peace between villages. A place where there won't be unnecessary killing. And watching him fight that day against the Iwa shinobi made me believe his words. He had the power to back his words, and I respected him for that. I'm not doing this as the Raikage of Kumogakure, but as Minato's friend." A said. Hiruzen was quite shocked hearing this, but kept his expression composed.

'Even when you're not with us Minato, you have the ability to bring people closer together.' Sarutobi thought with a small smile.

"I'm glad to hear that A. I was hoping you would understand it. I give you my word as the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, that we shall aid you whenever Kumo requires assistance." Hiruzen said kindly.

A nodded his head to the Hokage's words. He looked at his brother and saw he was eerily quiet, but thought nothing of it.

"I would like to get done with the official reason I have called you here for first, Raikage-dono, if that's okay?" asked Hiruzen. As A nodded, he opened his drawer and took out two files containing the report of the incident that occurred few days back and the other containing the document that states Kumo and Konoha as allies. He quickly skimmed through the documents once to make sure everything was in order before he handed them to the Raikage.

While A was going through the documents that he was handed, Hiruzen observed his brother Killer B from the corner of his eyes. Even though he had heard about the man from Minato before, he had never seen him in person.

Killer B had dark skin and a muscular build, as well as light blonde hair and a goatee. On his right shoulder, he had a tattoo of the kanji for "iron" (鉄, _tetsu_ ), which was the Iron Armor Seal that was used to seal the Hachibi into him, and on his left cheek, he had a tattoo of a bull's horn. His top lip had a slightly darker hue than his bottom one. He wore oval shaped sunglasses and a white-colored forehead protector. He also had his village's standard one-strap-over-one-shoulder flak jacket, and a long, red rope belt tied around his waist, the standard Kumo hand and shin guards, shinobi sandals, and a white scarf around his neck.

'Hmm… I do hope he and Naruto can get along.' Sarutobi thought.

He turned his attention back to the Raikage when he saw the man sign on both the copies of the Kumo-Konoha alliance document. He inwardly released a sigh of relief. He had heard the man was a bit of a hot head, but his views about the man certainly changed today after hearing the man.

"Hokage-dono, I apologize on behalf of my council. If I had the slightest of hint of what they were up to, I would have done something about it. I will make sure that they receive the proper punishment for doing anything behind my back." A said as he stood up and gave a slight bow of his head. Hiruzen could see the regret in his eyes and the seriousness of the situation.

"I understand Raikage-dono. I believe we won't have a repeat of the situation." Hiruzen said firmly. Seeing as their official business was done with, he opened his drawer again and this time took out what looked like a photo of a young boy. He gestured for Raikage to take it.

As A took the photo from Sarutobi, his eyes immediately widened seeing the person in it. Same blond hair, same eyes and similar facial structure. There was no doubt in his mind now.

"So, it's true. It's his son." A thought out loud with wide eyes. He then handed the picture to B, who had similar train of thought.

"When can we meet him yo?" B asked suddenly. A had a slight twitch on his right eye while Hiruzen chuckled slightly at the reaction.

"I shall accompany you to the Senju Compound tomorrow. Naruto-kun will be there training with my student, Jiraiya." Sarutobi proposed.

"Jiraiya-sama must have a thing for blondes…" A said and laughed a bit.

Hiruzen had an amused expression on his face, hearing that. 'Jiraiya and blondes… huh. Never thought about it that way.'

Getting up from his seat, Sarutobi walked to his window. He stood there for a few seconds gazing at his village. Although A and B couldn't see his face, they were aware he had a serious expression.

"Raikage-dono? Have you told B-san why it was that I requested you to bring him along?"

B looked at his brother and saw the graveness in his face. "No, I haven't. I didn't want to risk someone overhearing us anywhere."

The Sandaime turned back, now facing the brothers. He turned towards the Hachibi Jinchuriki and looked at him again for a good few minutes. He knew there was no point in hiding anything about Naruto now. B was a jinchuriki and Sarutobi knew he was on good terms with the Hachibi, according to the reports he received from Jiraiya earlier. And Sarutobi was sure the Hachibi would have sensed the Kyubi's and Sanbi's presence. If not now, then tomorrow definitely.

"You are a jinchuriki yourself B. You know how tough the life of a jinchuriki is." Hiruzen said sympathetically. Even though B acted as a fool most of the time, he was an astute person and so understood where the Hokage was heading to.

Hiruzen saw him raise his eyebrows ever so slightly and the surprised look on his face. He was glad that the man wasn't so eccentric as he looked.

"You don't mean…?" B asked. He turned to his brother and saw him nod his head.

"You are right in your assumptions B. Naruto is also a jinchuriki. Minato sacrificed his life to protect Konoha by sealing the Kyubi and the Sanbi within Naruto-kun. The villagers of Konoha have still not gotten over the losses of that night. Since his birth, Naruto has been treated differently by the people. Even though Naruto acts as if it doesn't affect him, I can see it in his eyes. The pain is still there. I was hoping you could talk to him." Sarutobi asked and saw the man smile.

"We jinchuriki got to stick together! Don't worry, I will speak to Naruto!" B said as he punched his left hand in the air, making a _yo_ sign. Again, A's right eye twitched seeing his brother's behavior. Hiruzen sweat dropped at the eccentricity of the situation but said nothing.

"It's getting late Raikage-dono. I will ask my ANBU to escort you to the hotel where you can stay the night. Tomorrow morning, I shall walk you to the Senju Compound, where you and B can talk with Naruto-kun." Hiruzen said as he flicked his wrist and two ANBU suddenly appeared in front him.

"Eagle, Neko, escort Raikage-dono and Killer B to the Konoha's Grand Hotel. Their rooms have already been booked." Ordered Hiruzen.

The Sandaime then bid farewell to the Raikage and his brother, as they left the Hokage's office and head to their hotel for the night.

* * *

 ** _Next Morning, Senju Compound_**

It had been nearly two days since Naruto had fought with Sasuke. He still couldn't get it out of his head. He felt slightly sad and understood now why Sasuke reacted that way. Even if Sasuke never told it to him openly, they both shared a deep bond. Ever since the day they met, one could tell what the other was thinking. They were each other's first friend, best friend and brothers in all but blood. His young mind often wondered if they were brothers in their previous life and then promptly removed those ideas from his mind.

'That wouldn't possible, right...?' he thought often.

It had also been two days since Naruto had started on his elemental training. His Kaa-chan and Jiraiya were indeed slave drivers when it came to training and studying these past few days. He was extremely excited when his mother found out the notes left by Hashirama Senju on the **Mokuton** Kekkei Genkai.

However, the training wasn't going as well as he had expected it to be. Even though he could now soak the leaf and crumble it almost instantly, he found the **futon** and **raiton** nature transformations to be quite…. troublesome. He was aware he could use the **Kage Bunshins** to speed up his training, but he wanted to go through all the hard work on his own. Though he was young, Naruto possessed a sense of morality, which greatly impressed the two Sannin.

Despite his limited advancement in **futon** and **raiton** chakra nature transformation, Naruto showed great talent in **suiton** and **doton** nature transformation. He was overjoyed when he was told that he shared the same high **suiton** affinity to his great granduncle, Tobirama Senju. Although he wasn't on the same level as him yet, with years of practice, Jiraiya was sure that Naruto could rival the Nidaime.

Yesterday, Naruto learned and performed his first **Mokuton** jutsu and he couldn't stop smiling the entire day. In a way, he felt closer to his great grandfather. Both possessed something special, which none in their family ever did.

It was the **Moku Bunshin no Jutsu** (Wood Clone Technique). These are clones that are created by using chakra to alter the user's own cells into vegetation. The clones can be as simple in function as a wooden dummy for use in the **Kawirami no Jutsu** or completely mobile and able to perform jutsu. Also, by directly touching the wood clone with his hand, the user can change the shape of the clone. They can travel far from the user and are able to communicate with the original. Moreover, since the **Moku Bunshins** can merge with plants and trees, it is also great for reconnaissance missions.

It was around two in the afternoon and Naruto was lying on the grassy fields of his gardens in the Senju Compound. It had been his daily practice now. A few laps around the compound, some physical exercises and a taijutsu spar with his clones. Earlier, he normally fought with his **Kage Bunshins** , since he learned the **Moku Bunshin no Jutsu** yesterday, however, he realized it was far better to spar against the wood clones. Unlike the other clone techniques, the **Moku Bunshin** doesn't disappear and takes damage to a certain degree. Naruto also started meditating more often as a way to keep his chakra calm and to become more in control of it.

As he was idly lying on the ground, he suddenly sat upright when he sensed his jiji (Sarutobi Hiruzen) along with two other chakra signatures. He tried to sense them more clearly and was amazed at the sheer size of their chakra. While one's chakra reserves were almost close to his jiji, the other one's was almost close to his own. Ever since he unlocked his chakra, he knew he had enormous amounts of chakra in him. It was inhuman to possess that much amount, however, he did. He understood the reasoning behind that when he met the Kyubi and the Sanbi.

' **Hachibi… What is he doing here?** ' thought Kyubi and Sanbi simultaneously.

" **Naruto, the Hachibi's jinchuriki is here.** " Said the Kyubi seriously.

'Hachibi…? Why would he be here in Konoha?' Naruto asked, confused.

" **How are we supposed to know?** " said the Sanbi irritatingly.

" **Just be careful. The Jinchuriki seems strong. Stronger than you at your current strength.** " Advised Kyubi.

'Okay. I will keep that in mind.' Replied Naruto warily. He got up from the ground and walked inside the house to find his mother.

* * *

 ** _Outside the Senju Compound_**

Sarutobi was walking towards the Senju Compound along with the Raikage, A, and his brother, Killer B, to meet with Naruto. His mind was a lot more relieved compared to last night. In truth, he couldn't be happier about how the meeting with A went. He was anxious how A would react to this news and he was surprised how well the bulky man took it. It also made him wonder how much respect did those two hold for the Yondaime. He had his white colored Hokage robes on, and his hat with the kanji for Hokage hanging at the back of his neck.

Despite being pleased about the meeting last night, he was anxious today. He had been leading the village for decades now and had taken several heavy decisions during his time. Yet, he couldn't dread thinking what the young boy would feel after today. Sarutobi had the uncanny ability to look into one's eyes and see them for who they are. It pained him to see the suffering behind those violet eyes. He could only hope for the best now.

A and Killer B were following behind the aged Hokage. If one were to look closely, they would see a small scowl etched on the Raikage's face. The reason for this being his brother, Killer B. Earlier in the morning, both were escorted to the Hokage's office, where they met with Tsunade and Jiraiya to further discuss the terms of the treaty between their two villages. Well, it was mainly A discussing with Hiruzen, Tsunade and Jiraiya, while B was busy staring at Tsunade's impressive bust. There were times when Hiruzen had to hold her back to smack the Hachibi jinchuriki into oblivion. However, Jiraiya was not given that courtesy by Hiruzen as he developed several bruises and bumps all over his body due to Tsunade's punches.

As the two brothers were following the Sandaime, they saw him abruptly stop in his steps.

"Is something of the matter, Hokage?" asked A. Clearly not glad that they stopped so suddenly.

"Before you meet Naruto-kun, there is something important you must be made aware of Raikage-dono." Sarutobi said calmly as he turned around to face them. By now, they had already passed the main streets of the village and were on the north-east side of Konoha. This part of the village only housed the Senju Compound which was to the right of the Hokage Monument.

"What is it?" asked the Raikage. B stood beside him still seemingly lost in his little notebook. However, despite that, he was listening to the conversation attentively.

"As I told you last night, Naruto's true heritage is a matter of high security in our village. Once he goes outside the village, he will be targeted by people as he is the heir of the Senju Clan. To protect him from his father's enemies, neither Naruto nor anyone else without proper clearance was made aware of his father. So, I would request you not to bring up Minato being related to Naruto-kun in front of him." Said the Hokage seriously.

"I understand Hokage. I figured as much." A replied with equal seriousness.

"Now if that is all, I would like to go meet the kid for myself." He said.

"Of course. Just wanted to clarify the matter before everything." Sarutobi said, albeit a bit grievously as he continued walking towards the gates of the Senju Compound.

Without any further ado, all three of them walked inside the Senju Compound and towards the main house that was in the middle of it.

* * *

 ** _Within Main House of the Senju Compound_**

"Kaa-chan? Where are you?" Naruto yelled quite childishly as he ran back inside the house. He went straight to the kitchen and saw his mother standing there, with her hands on her hip and looking at him quite sternly.

"Naru-chan? What did I tell you about yelling and running inside the house?" Tsunade asked as she tapped her foot on the ground. She narrowed her light brown eyes at him slightly and had to stifle in a giggle when his eyes watered a bit.

"Bu… But Kaa-chan…" Naruto said slowly as he rubbed his moist eyes slowly with his little fingers.

That instantly melted her heart and she scooped him up in her arms immediately. She patted his back softly and kissed him on his forehead lovingly.

"Naru-chan… You're a big and strong boy, now aren't you?" she asked in a motherly tone. She moved her hand along his hair as Naruto gave her a small nod. He felt so relaxed and comfortable in her arms, he did not even remember what he had to tell her. He closed his eyes with a content sigh and just stayed in her embrace for a while.

Tsunade then put him down on the ground and saw him pout slightly. It warmed her heart at how much he loved her and she was certain she couldn't go a day without seeing his bright smile.

She too got down to his eye level and asked "Now, what is it you were calling me for Naru-chan?"

"Oh…. Yeah! I almost forgot. I felt Jiji's chakra along with two other people! They are coming here." Naruto said matter of fact.

Tsunade cursed herself for almost forgetting about their talk in the morning. She was also slightly worried due to the discussion she had with the others this morning. She glanced at Naruto and saw how innocently he looked at her. She was starting to feel sorely worried in her heart. However, she knew that it was time for her son to know the truth.

"I know Naru-chan. Why don't you go get changed and come down? You wouldn't want to be all smelly now, would you?" she asked gently. Naruto gave her one last hug before he ran upstairs to his room.

'I hope you can forgive me, Naru-chan…' Tsunade thought as she went to the living room and sat on the couch.

A few minutes later, she heard the knock on the door and knew they were waiting outside.

She got up and quickly walked back to the entrance of the house. As she opened the door, she found her sensei, A and B standing on the porch.

"Sarutobi-sensei, Raikage-sama…" Tsunade said as she glanced distastefully at the other man standing beside A. B was feeling quite nervous under her stern gaze and had a few beads of sweat started to roll down his forehead, but he kept himself composed.

"… and B-san, do come inside the house. Naru-chan just went to change his clothes. He will be down in a while." She said, as she averted her gaze from the Hachibi jinchuriki.

Hiruzen casually walked inside the house, while A bopped his brother on the head once, as they too followed the Sandaime and Tsunade inside the house. They all went to the living room and sat down on the couch. Hiruzen was sitting beside Tsunade, while A and B sat on the opposite couch. The door leading to the gardens at the back was partially open, which allowed the fresh air of the late January afternoon to breeze into the room.

"Where is Jiraiya, Sarutobi-sensei?" Tsunade asked.

"He isn't here? I haven't seen him since the meeting in the morning. He will come here soon, I suppose." Sarutobi assured her. Nodding her head, she turned to the two brothers who were looking around the room. She saw B trying to steal glances at her and chuckle awkwardly. She gave him an extremely stern gaze again which made him whip is head in another direction.

'Damn perverts everywhere…' she thought furiously.

"When will he be coming Tsunade-sama?" A asked as politely as he could, which still sounded somewhat arrogant to her. However, she disregarded that. Before she could say anything, footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs.

A promptly stood up from the couch and turned towards the stairs, which were straight ahead of him. He felt a sense of Déjà vu seeing the mop of golden blond hair walking downstairs with white color t-shirt, navy blue colored pants and a high collared dark green haori. The violet colored eyes, same as him and the facial structure similar to him, yet oddly resembling Tsunade's a bit, A noted.

"Jiji!" Naruto said happily as he waved to him. Hiruzen sighed again hearing his grandson like figure calling him that for the thousandth time. Despite that, he smiled at him warmly. The little boy then went and sat beside his mother. Tsunade patted him on the head a few times, which made the blond boy smile.

Naruto glanced at the other two people in the room and gave them a small smile.

"Naru-chan, he is the Yondaime Raikage of Kumogakure no Sato, and the other one is his brother, B-san." Tsunade said pointing to the two men. Naruto's eyes widened a bit hearing that he's the Raikage. He narrowed his eyes slightly at him, which did not go unnoticed by the Raikage. However, he kept his calm in check knowing they were guests in the village

"Hello. I'm Naruto Senju. Pleased to meet you." Naruto said politely and bowed before him as a sign of respect. Tsunade and Hiruzen smiled seeing the boy greeting the Raikage with proper manners.

"No need to lower your head boy. I'm A, the Raikage." He said. He saw him narrow his eyes at him and smirked inwardly. 'The boy has guts.' He was also pleased with the boy knowing how to speak to his elders and felt nostalgic looking at his face. It reminded him so much of the Yondaime.

"Hai Raikage-sama." Naruto replied. He turned to his other brother and felt the enormity of his chakra.

" **He is the Hachibi jinchuriki Naruto."** Kyubi said.

Mentally nodding to the fox, Naruto looked at him for a few seconds longer but eventually smiled at him. "Hello B-san!" Naruto greeted jovially.

Getting up from his seat, B walked towards Naruto. He put his arms forward making a fist. Naruto looked at the man before him quizzically and wondered if he was supposed to do something.

"Bump your fists with mine yo! This is how we become friends Naruto!" B said. Naruto looked at the man before him awkwardly but bumping fists with him. He wondered if B knew about him being a jinchuriki or if other jinchuriki could sense another bijuu's chakra.

" **They can't sense mine or Sanbi's chakra. Your mokuton keeps our chakra suppressed. I'm surprised by the raw potential of your mokuton, it surpasses even Hashirama's."** Kyubi said, surprising Naruto with the information.

Naruto could feel B's emotions and he knew the man felt extremely glad to have met him, intrigued and felt… sympathetic?

B leaned in close to his ears and whispered "I can see it in your eyes Naruto. You and I are the same." Naruto looked him in the eyes and gave a slight nod, which was only seen by B. Now, Naruto was sure B knew about him being aware about the Kyubi and the Sanbi. But he knew it wasn't because of the Hachibi sensing the two bijuu inside him. Rather his mother or Jiraiya oji-chan or Jiji must have told him. He could feel that they felt worried inwardly and if his guess was correct, they were going to tell him about the Kyubi and the Sanbi.

Naruto looked back at his mother and walked back to her. He held his mother's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. B had already went back to where he was sitting. He had realized Naruto knew about the Kyubi and the Sanbi when he looked him in the eyes. However, he decided to keep quiet, since it wasn't his place to tell that to him. Despite coming off as an idiot most of the times, _maybe all the time_ , he knew the hardships of being a jinchuriki and was experienced in that aspect.

Hiruzen looked at Tsunade, A and B, and nodded his head, indicating it was time to tell Naruto about his burden. Tsunade stood up and walked to the corner of the room, then went through a couple of hand seals and pressed her hand on the Senju Clan symbol that was drawn there, activating the privacy seals within the room. These seals were originally put in by Mito Uzumaki. In the later years, the seals were checked regularly by Jiraiya to ensure they were still functional.

Seeing the hands signs and the faint glow around the room, Naruto knew she had activated a sort of privacy seal.

"Naru-chan? There is… something we must tell you." Tsunade called out to her son. Her voice trembled at what she was about to say. She knew she hid a large part about her son from himself and there was a chance he may come to resent her for it. She couldn't help but feel heartbroken at the thought.

Hiruzen sadly looked at Tsunade. He understood what she was going through. No mother should have to tell her child that he is a living sacrifice. That two demons are sealed within his gut. That he will never have a normal childhood. He too, felt guilty. He was aware of the pain Naruto went through every day. The fact that a boy so young would be the cause of his own village's hate broke his heart.

A and B decided to stay quiet, knowing it was not their place to say anything now.

Naruto looked at her and knew what she was going to say. He had never seen her mother so sad before. He could feel her distress easily and it broke his heart. He never wanted to see his mother cry. Not only her, but he could feel his Jiji's emotions too. Guilt. He couldn't understand why his jiji felt that way, as Naruto knew, he loved him dearly. He was surprised when he felt even the Raikage feeling slightly down. He looked around the room and all he felt was the somberness in the room.

He walked to his mother and asked her to stop. He put his small hand on her cheek and wiped away the tears that were about to fall from her eyes.

Gazing into her eyes with all the love he had for her, he said seven words that made her realize something very significant.

"I love you Kaa-chan. I always will."

Tsunade's eyes widened hearing those words. Oh, how much she wished to hear that from him and how light her heart felt. Naruto smiled softly, seeing her face. He slowly walked back to the center of the room and closed his eyes to take a deep breath. Everyone stared at Naruto, not knowing what he was about to do.

'Kyubi can you give me some chakra?' Naruto asked seriously. Having felt what Naruto was going to do, Kyubi passed on a miniscule amount of his chakra through the seal to Naruto. B smirked, sensing Kyubi's chakra ahead of everyone else.

Opening his eyes, everyone stared into his red eyes with black slits instead of his usual violet ones. The potency of Kyubi's chakra could be felt by everyone within the room. Tsunade, Hiruzen and A widened their eyes seeing Naruto, as he was surrounded by a thin shroud of red chakra now and almost fumbled in their position.

"I know about the Kyubi and the Sanbi. I know that they were sealed into me by the Yondaime Hokage." Naruto said calmly.

Tsunade panicked seeing Naruto surrounded by that foul chakra and immediately moved towards him. Seeing his mother come at him, Naruto promptly moved aside.

"Kaa-chan! Don't worry. I know what I'm doing. I have spoken to both Kyubi and the Sanbi." Naruto said looking at his mother.

"NARUTO! What do you mean you have met them!?" She yelled in a panicked voice, as memories of that night came rushing in her mind.

Hiruzen coming out of his shocked stupor, looked at the young boy sternly before him.

"Explain, now." Commanded the Hokage.

"I meant what I said earlier, I have met them. After that night's incident, I was dragged into my mindscape by both bijuu. I had a suspicion for a while about why it was that I was hated by so many people. I have heard so many people whisper 'demon', 'damn fox' or 'monster turtle', and I couldn't understand at first. But then during mediations in my training, I could feel two chakra sources inside myself that were a lot more potent, larger and different than my own." said Naruto seriously looking his mother straight in the eyes.

Everyone in the room flinched a bit when Naruto told them about what the people spoke about him behind his back. Hiruzen felt extreme guilt at his own villager's behavior and a slight panic, wondering if the seal was weakening, while Tsunade felt anger building up in her mind.

Naruto let go of the chakra cloak as he felt his mother's and Jiji's emotions.

"The seal is not breaking. Kyubi told me about the seal and how it works. Even though Sanbi still seems mad about the fact that he was sealed again, he doesn't seem to hold any hate towards me. The Kyubi talks to me regularly and he is nice. He talked to me when I felt bad about killing that shinobi. The bijuu are not what the humans think they are. The bijuu are not bad. They are just misunderstood! I consider both to be my friends" Naruto said to everyone. Tsunade and Hiruzen relaxed slightly hearing that, but were still on edge.

' **This child… Tou-san… is it him?** ' thought Hachibi in awe.

Surprisingly, it was B who stood up and walked to Naruto. He stood beside him and smiled looking at the young blond.

"Naruto is right. Hachibi works with me yo! He is great! Bakayaro Konoyaro!" Killer B said. Tsunade ignored the last part and for the first time, she looked at the man differently. She knew he was the Hachibi jinchuriki and was the only one who could understand her son on a different level.

"Do you... hate me Naruto?" Tsunade asked quietly.

"You are _my_ Kaa-chan. I can never hate you. You are my favorite person in the world!" stated the blond happily.

Seeing Hiruzen's gaze at him, he turned to the aged Hokage.

"Neither do I hate you or the Yondaime Hokage, nor do I hate the villagers of Konoha. I understand what the Yondaime did. He was the greatest Hokage of Konoha and someday I will surpass him and all the other Hokage!" Naruto said passionately. Hiruzen couldn't help but smile proudly at the boy. Though young, he was understanding and forgiving.

Every other occupant in the room smiled hearing that. It was almost ironic. The son wanting to surpass the father. A could see the visage of his old friend within the boy and knew someday he would grow up to be an important figure in the elemental nations. However, it also made him wary of the boy. He could access the Kyubi's chakra at the young age of five and has an almost limitless supply of chakra.

"Yondaime Hokage huh? You will have to work hard kid. I have fought him on a couple of occasions. He was extremely strong. Since the Yondaime passed away, I'm the fastest man alive in the shinobi nations!" boasted A.

'Does he have to say that?' thought Tsunade and Hiruzen with sweat drops.

"We will see about that old man!" Naruto replied instantly. Not even a second later, he was bopped on the head, courtesy of Tsunade.

"How many times have I told you not to call people that, Naru-chan?" Tsunade asked sternly.

"Oww… Kaa-chan! That hurts." Whined Naruto with a pout. Hiruzen shook his head in amusement of the scene.

Meanwhile, B snickered as he saw A's eye twitch annoyingly at the remark.

"It's quite alright Tsunade-sama. I'm sure he did not mean it." A said in a very polite tone.

"Naruto-kun, despite everything, you are still getting your seal checked by Jiraiya." Said Hiruzen firmly.

Naruto nodded his head, knowing his oji-chan would do it, even if he said no. Despite the huge revelations, everyone sat down back on the sofas and conversed with each other regarding themselves. Naruto had already taken a liking to the eccentric man, Killer B and the Raikage, A. Although he did find B's attempt at rapping at times to be quite weird, he found him to be funny. Naruto was made aware of the fact that Hinata was not kidnapped on the Raikage's orders and was glad about it. A also stated now that both the villages were allies, they would be able to come to Konoha more often to meet with Naruto.

* * *

A few hours had passed and now the Raikage, Killer B and Hiruzen were standing at the main door of the house. It was evening now and Jiraiya was still nowhere to be found. Even though Hiruzen and Tsunade knew he would be fine on his own, they still worried about him.

"Well Naruto, I will see you soon. It was a good time." A said, somewhat happy about the time he spent outside his own Kage office. B was standing beside his brother, trying very hard not to look at Tsunade's bust, again. Naruto saw him trying not look at his mother and was extremely confused at his actions.

" **B, I want to talk to Naruto. Ask him to take you somewhere else and bring him to our mindscape.** " Said the Hachibi.

'You got it Hachi!' B said to his partner mentally.

"Naruto, come with me. I have to show you something." B said. A looked at his brother from the corner of his eyes. Even though he liked Naruto a lot, he was still from another shinobi village. He did not wish for B to form a deep bond with anyone from Konoha. They were allies and he wanted to keep it to just that.

Naruto too wondered what he had to show. Nonetheless, he took B to the gardens at the back. As they sat on the ground, B put his right hand forward, making a fist like before.

"Close your eyes and bump my fist." Said Killer B.

Thinking nothing of it, Naruto closed his eyes and bumped his fists with the Hachibi jinchuriki. He immediately felt a pull in his mind and opened to find himself in an open hall with water on the ground reaching till his ankles. He looked behind himself and was surprised to find Kyubi and Sanbi, both still in their cages. He was confused as to where he was when he heard a voice from behind.

" **Hello Naruto.** "

As Naruto turned around, he saw a giant looming figure of an octopus like creature. It had four long horns on its head and had eight tails on its lower half which resembled the arms of an octopus. It was extremely massive, dwarfing entire forests and towers over large rock formations and buildings and matching a giant squid in size. The lower left part of its horns was permanently sliced off in a battle with A. It also had a muscular upper-body structure, with a hunched back similar to a bison, arms with spiked protrusions on the elbows, and hands with opposable thumbs like that of a human. Naruto realized he was looking straight at the Hachibi.

"Yo Naruto! Up here!" B shouted. He was sitting on top of the Hachibi's head.

" **Stop with it B. Your attempts at rapping are pathetic.** " Said the Hachibi tiredly.

Looking down, he saw the young boy staring at him with no fear in his eyes.

"Hello Hachibi-san!" Naruto said with a wave of his hands. Standing in front of the Kyubi and Sanbi so many times in front of his own mindscape had made it somewhat normal for him to talk to such huge creatures. Kyubi and Sanbi who were within their cages, stood up on their legs and were standing close to the bars of the cage, looking at the scene before them.

" **I wished to see you once. You remind me of someone Naruto. It's hard to tell who it is**." Hachibi said. He knew exactly whose chakra the boy's resembled. Naruto's chakra reminded him a lot of Ashura's and it made him feel slightly nostalgic.

"Kyubi told me the same thing! Who is it?" Naruto asked curiously.

Gyūki looked at Kurama and Isobu and nodded his head to them as a sign of greeting. It had been years since they all had spoken to each other and years since so many bijuu had gathered together in one place.

" **As I said, I don't remember Naruto. I wish I could tell you.** " Hachibi replied. Looking into the boy's eyes, he could tell Naruto was as gentle as the boy he once knew from ages ago, and had a strong will as him.

Naruto just nodded his head dejectedly. Not knowing what else to talk about, he kept quiet. As a few minutes passed, he looked up to see the Hachibi still looking at him.

"Would you tell me your name?" Naruto asked innocently. He wanted to know Kyubi's and Sanbi's name too earlier, but they decided not to tell him that time.

Naruto started to feel a bit nervous under the gaze of the Hachibi. Thinking he had asked something he was not supposed to, he was about to say something else, when the Hachibi spoke.

" **Gyūki, that is my name.** "

" **Why would you tell a human your name, Gyūki?** " asked the Sanbi, quite irritated at his brother's straightforwardness.

" **You know as well as I that he isn't a normal human. Also, there is still hope for us left. Learn to trust again.** " Gyūki said.

" **Tch...** " Sanbi said and went to the back of the cage. Meanwhile Kurama just stared at Naruto. He hadn't seen a human since the Rikudo Sennin who spoke to all the bijuu equally. He trusted the boy to some degree and considered him different compared to other humans, but seeing him now made him wish to trust the boy more.

Looking at Kurama, Gyūki saw something in his eyes which he hadn't seen in ages.

 _Respect_

He knew how much Kurama cared for the Rikudo Sennin, and probably out of all the bijuu, he was the one who respected and loved the old Sennin the most. Over the years, Kurama had come to hate this world due to the humans. So, seeing the respect for the young boy in Kurama's eyes made him widen his eyes. However, Gyūki smiled inwardly, knowing that if Kurama came to respect the boy for some reason, Isobu would do too, sometime in the future.

" **You will become strong Naruto. Far stronger than anyone this world has ever seen. Bring your arm forward. I wish to give you something.** " Gyūki said.

Confused by the sudden request, Naruto brought his arm forward. Gyūki did the same, forming a fist. Understanding what Gyūki was asking of him, Naruto formed a fist and bumped it with Gyūki's. In that moment, Naruto felt large amounts of potent chakra passing through his body. He looked up at Gyūki and saw him smirk.

" **It's for your own good. You may need it sometime in the future.** " Said Gyūki.

Again, left speechless, Naruto just settled for nodding.

B, who was sitting on top of Gyūki's head, looked down at Naruto and in a rare moment of transparency, he said "I know the pain Naruto. It's hard. You start to change when you learn you can never be normal again."

Knowing what B was talking about, Naruto averted his eyes from him. It's easier for any human to pretend a problem does not exist and not let it bother you rather than acknowledging and trying to go past it.

"You start to wonder, why did it have to be you? Why couldn't you rest easy, while someone else had the burden?" B said apologetically.

"It's so hard at times." Naruto said quietly.

"It is because you are special, that it is hard. We jinchuriki are not understood by people normally. They view us as demons, because they don't understand what our situation is. We protect them, and despite that, they scorn us. But there will come a time, when those very same people will start to look at you differently. Will start to notice your kindness. At first, it may only be a few, but as time goes on, they all will change." B said. Gyūki knew how hard B had it when he was young. But he never let any of that hate get to him and now, the man not only befriended the those who hated him, but also the bijuu.

Naruto listened to every word B said and was amazed by them. He realized he wasn't the only one who suffered in the world. Earlier he learned from his Jiji that B was known as the _Guardian of Kumogakure_. It made him wonder how many struggles he had to go through to be liked by the entire village.

"Do you have someone special Naruto?" B asked.

"Hai. I do." Naruto said as he thought about his Jiji, Jiraiya oji-chan, Sasuke, Itachi, Shizune nee-chan and especially his Kaa-chan. A small smile found way to his face as he remembered how much all of them loved him.

"When you have someone special with you, you don't have to hide the pain. You don't have to hide behind your smiles. You are very special Naruto. You may not understand it now, but soon enough, you will." B said as he jumped down from Gyūki's head.

He walked towards Naruto and stopped in front of him. "Remember this Naruto. When you know better, you do better. Yeah!" B said as he suddenly started rapping, which sounded like incomprehensible words to Naruto. However, Naruto smiled as he understood what B was trying to say.

Seeing Naruto smile, B too inwardly smiled, knowing he got through to the young blond.

Soon enough, Naruto found himself sitting on the grass again, at the same spot. He looked at B and saw him standing up.

"Time flies in the mindscape, no need to worry, but we should still hurry." Said Bee, as they started walking towards the main gates of the house.

To Naruto's surprise, he found Jiraiya standing there along with two ANBU. While Jiraiya was giving Naruto a curious look along with his Jiji and mother, A looked at his brother with slight narrowed eyes.

"Thank you, B!" Naruto said with a bright smile as he bumped his fists with him, signifying their newly formed friendship.

"No problem kid. If you ever want to learn how to control Nine's and Three's chakra, you know where to find me! Bakayaro Konoyaro!" B said, making the Hokage and the Sannin widen their eyes at the offer. A just stared at B in mild disbelief. Deciding to talk to him about it back in their own village, A did not bring up any questions.

After A and B gave their farewell to Tsunade, Jiraiya, Hiruzen and Naruto, they were escorted by the two ANBU agents to the gates of Konoha.

As soon as the two brothers were out of sight, Naruto latched onto Jiraiya's arms and started running back inside the house while dragging the Toad Sannin.

"Where were you Jiraiya oji-chaaaan?"

* * *

 **So, that's a wrap for this chapter. Next chapter for this story will be mostly posted around 17 March or 18 March 2017.**

 **I know, I did not show Jiraiya's whereabouts in when A, Tsunade, Hiruzen, Naruto and B met. His absence was significant. So, it will be revealed either in the next chapter or chapter 12.**

 **Next chapter will feature a time skip of three years, Naruto joining the academy, him getting to spend more time with Hinata. Also, meeting more children. And no, his meeting with other children his age won't go the same as the last time. What happens with Naruto during that time skip will be mentioned in part by part from next chapters onwards.**

 **Please do Follow, Favorite and Review the story. This is an important part in the story, so I would really like to know how it is going yet. So, again, don't forget to review the story, if you like it.**

 **Until next time!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author Notes- Hello fellow readers! I greatly apologize for updating this chapter so late after the date I had specified. Honestly, I had become super busy with my friends and a tad bit of lazy too. However, I do intend to continue with this story to the end, in case someone might think I wouldn't be.**

 **So, I wouldn't be going deeply into Naruto's and Sasuke's time in Academy. Including this chapter, only the next chapter will feature being Naruto and Sasuke in the academy. Now, Naruto is Nine years and six months right now. I wouldn't be featuring the Uchiha massacre too much in this story like my other one, rather an incident personally related to Naruto.**

 **[Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.]**

 _ **Anyway let the story continue**_

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Changing Times**

* * *

 _ **Time Skip- Four Years and Four Months**_

It was early, seven in the morning, in Konohagakure no Sato. Most of the markets were still closed while few of the shop owners were setting up their shops to start their business for today. It was springtime and the sun shone brightly in the sky, illuminating the entirety of the village in its warmth. The trees seemed rejuvenated with the freshness that this time of the year brought and the flowers bloomed aesthetically.

Amid the almost empty streets of the village, walked two boys. While one's hair was blond- as bright as the sun itself, the other one's was raven- as black as the dark night sky. Both boys were almost the same height, with the raven haired one slightly taller. While the blond one was four feet five inches, the raven haired one was four feet and six inches.

Naruto Senju, the blond, wore a plain white t-shirt with dark blue pants. Over his t-shirt, he wore a grass green colored haori, similar to his mother, Tsunade Senju. The raven haired one, Sasuke Uchiha, wore dark black pants, accompanied by a high collared navy blue colored t-shirt adorning the symbol of the once thriving Uchiha Clan. The people around them looked at the two boys sympathetically as they walked towards the Konoha Academy. Every day, the civilians and the few shop owners around would watch the two walk the same path without saying as much as a word to one another.

As the two neared the Academy, Naruto averted his eyes towards the sky and wondered how things had changed so drastically. So much had happened in the last two years with both him and Sasuke, it felt unreal to him. The events had left an everlasting scar in both their minds. However, Naruto felt more saddened that he couldn't be of any help to Sasuke in his time of need.

About a year and seven months ago, the Uchiha Clan had been wiped out, with only Sasuke and Itachi as the remaining survivors. However, what's worse was that it was Itachi who killed off the entire clan and left Sasuke alive because he considered Sasuke to be weak. That very same night, Itachi deserted the village and was now considered a missing ninja. Naruto had felt the storm of troubles and doubts that had settled in Itachi's heart a few months before the massacre took place but never in his wildest dreams had he thought of this outcome. Ever since he came back, he had noticed a change in Sasuke. To others, Sasuke may appear to be the lone survivor of the Uchiha Clan, a grieving child, but Naruto knew better. There was a chilling sensation in Sasuke's demeanor, a coldness that took over his heart and it scared him. Even though the two were the best of friends, their relationship was much more complicated than a mere friendship. Sasuke never spoke to anyone in class apart from Naruto and had his mind focused on exacting revenge against his family. Naruto knew how much Sasuke loved his family and for him to watch his parents being killed by his brother right in front of his eyes, must have been appalling.

Upon entering the Academy, Naruto and Sasuke headed towards the class where they had been studying for the past two years. The class normally began at eight in the morning, but the two always came early. As the two entered the classroom, they took their regular seats on their desks, which was the fourth desk in the right row. They sat quietly, waiting for the other children and their sensei to arrive.

Both Naruto and Sasuke were the top students in their class but had different views on the Academy. While Naruto viewed the class as a place where he could meet his friends, learn more from his sensei about being a shinobi… a place where he could try to feel normal again, Sasuke considered the Academy to be _useless_ in his opinion. What they were being taught was something he already knew and had practiced it over and over when he started learning on how to be a shinobi at the age of four. Everyone in Academy knew Sasuke and Naruto were leaps ahead of every other student and to them it wasn't a surprise with the two being heirs of the founding clans of Konoha.

The classroom was large and had high ceilings. It was believed that larger classrooms lead to more expansive learning between the students. The classroom had a blackboard and in front of it was a podium where their sensei normally stood. Naruto looked towards Sasuke and saw him gazing out the window. He often wondered what went on inside of Sasuke's mind after the Uchiha Clan's massacre. He tried talking to him about it, but Sasuke had always been slightly stubborn. Always wanting to keep his troubles to himself, always wanting to do everything by himself. However, Naruto never pushed him too hard. He knew, when the time was right, Sasuke would divulge it to him.

 _They were brothers after all… They would always go through everything together._

Turning his head, Naruto stared at his right hand, which was now covered in bandages up to his elbow. A small frown etched on his face as he remembered that night which lead to his right arm being how it is today.

 _Flashback Eight months ago_

 _Moving is head to the right, Naruto barely avoided the palm thrust that was aimed to his left cheek. He immediately jumped a few meters back to gain some distance between himself and Hinata._

 _They currently stood in the gardens of the Hyuuga's Main House. Occasionally, Tsunade and Naruto came over to visit Hiashi and Hinata and join them for dinner. Hiashi may not have been too involved in Naruto's early childhood, but he did so now, whenever he could find time. He had noticed the change in Hinata's behavior since associating with the blond and he wasn't willing to take his daughter's only friend away. Moreover, Naruto was his friend's son. He felt obligated to know him more._

 _As Naruto settled into his taijutsu stance, he gazed over at Hinata in a trance. The moonlight falling on her face and the slight wind that touched her long hair, mesmerized him._

" _What are you waiting for, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked confidently. She stood facing the blond in the familiar Juken stance of the Hyuuga Clan and her Byakugan activated. The two usually trained together and had been spending a lot more time together since the Kumogakure incident. A few days a week, Hinata went over to the Senju Compound and trained with Naruto. Tsunade too helped Hinata with her chakra control and few tricks which Hinata could incorporate in her taijutsu style._

 _Seeing him smirk, Hinata rushed towards Naruto as quickly as she could. Meanwhile, Naruto stared at her intently for a second longer before he too rushed at her. As they came close to each other, Naruto jumped above and landed behind Hinata, taking her by surprise. Bending down, Naruto immediately went in for a leg sweep but was surprised when Hinata nimbly jumped up to avoid his leg. Hinata promptly did a front flip after jumping up and landed a few centimeters ahead of Naruto. Promptly, she turned around and threw a punch covered in slight chakra towards Naruto. However, all she managed to punch was the ground where Naruto once stood._

 _As her Byakugan picked up a right jab coming towards her neck from behind, she realized Naruto must have performed a quick shunshin to get behind her. Ducking down, she threw a punch of her own with her left hand which was blocked by Naruto's timely right knee. Once again, Naruto stared into Hinata's Byakugan. He could feel how much she was enjoying this spar and a small smile formed on his lips._

" _You're getting really good, Hinata-chan." Naruto whispered with a smile. Although Naruto stepped down his taijutsu abilities right now, he found Hinata's maneuverability to be extremely impressive. Hinata blushed a little on being praised by him, but knew this was a spar and thus had to stay focused._

 _Calming down her blush, Hinata used her right hand as a support on the ground and simultaneously swept Naruto off the ground with her left leg. Losing his balance, Naruto started to fall backwards. He saw Hinata's hand approaching him with the intention to close off his tenketsu points, but before she could reach him, Naruto used the_ _ **Kawirami no Jutsu**_ _to substitute himself with a log._

 _Hinata stopped midway once she saw the smoke as a result of the jutsu. Looking around the garden with her Byakugan, she found him to be standing a couple of meters away to her right._

" _You should know better Naruto-kun. A taijutsu spar with a Hyuuga is not too wise an idea." Hinata said as she took deep breaths. They had been sparring for more than twenty minutes now and she was beginning to feel slightly winded._

" _I know... I know Hinata-chan. You don't have to remind me… again." Naruto replied with a sheepish smile as he walked towards her._

 _Not too far away from the two kids, Tsunade and Hiashi stood on the porch, observing Naruto and Hinata while Shizune was inside the house helping in the preparation of dinner. Naruto's craving for Ramen had apparently become remarkably known, even among the Hyuuga Clan that whenever Tsunade, Naruto and Shizune came over for dinner, the blond was always served with his favorite bowl of ramen. Although Tsunade made Naruto eat healthy most of the time, due to his training and growing body, she could never separate ramen from him. It often left her exasperated._

" _They are growing up too fast." Tsunade commented, looking at her son._

" _That they are… he's a lot like Minato and Kushina in many aspects." Hiashi replied, sounding somewhat less monotonous._

" _It scares me to think how he will react when he… comes to know about Minato and Kushina." Tsunade said softly._

 _Hiashi looked at Tsunade from the corner of his eyes and saw the uncertainty on her face but he could also see the love she held for Naruto. The child she had raised with her own hands. He walked closer to her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder while still looking over at the children._

" _You have raised him well, Tsunade-sama. Minato and Kushina would be proud of the way Naruto is now. I'm sure when the time is right, he will understand." Hiashi said with a hint of understanding in his voice. Unconsciously, Tsunade nodded as she remembered the night when she looked at Naruto the first time. Those innocent and curious violet eyes which made her want to protect him._

" _Why don't we go inside and prepare the table for dinner? It's almost time." Hiashi asked as he made his way inside the house. Having one last glance at her son, Tsunade turned around and walked back inside the house, with no clue of the roots that were growing in the shadows of the night._

 _Naruto laid on the ground with his hands below his head and stared at the night sky. He always enjoyed doing so. He felt at peace, to just idly lay down and do nothing. Hinata sat beside him quietly and often looked at the blond secretly. Over the years, the two had grown close. Spending a lot of time together, either training or just talking about random things._

" _How do you really feel about becoming a shinobi Hinata-chan?" Hinata was startled by the sudden question, then looked at Naruto in contemplation._

" _I don't really know. Tou-sama often told me it's much different outside the village compared to what they teach in Academy. So, I hope I can live up to his expectations." Hinata said as she looked down at the grass._

 _Naruto saw the slight gloomy look on her face and sat up. When he put both his hands on her shoulders lightly, Hinata promptly looked at him and her cheeks turned a little red, looking at his comforting smile._

" _It will be okay Hinata-chan! Don't worry so much. We will pass the Academy and become great shinobi!" Naruto said cheerfully. Hinata's face turned a further shade of red and she was glad it was slightly dark outside, so Naruto couldn't see her properly. The broad-leaved shrubbery gossiped softly with the wind, as it brushed against Hinata's lavender hair, making them fall over her face. The purple hair band she was wearing suddenly came loose and flew over behind the bushes._

 _Hinata got up from her place to go and get it, but was stopped by Naruto._

" _I will go get it Hinata-chan. You should sit. You look a bit tired." Naruto offered._

 _As Naruto went walked behind the bushes, he looked around but couldn't find it immediately. He looked in between the bushes and sighed in relief as he found it stuck in there. However, before he could grab it, he heard a small shriek which alarmed him. Getting back into the open immediately, his eyes widened as he saw a trembling Hinata with a kunai held at her neck. He looked at the two shinobi behind her and knew they were ANBU. But the white masks they were wearing confused him, since he had never seen it before._

" _Make one wrong move and she will be dead, I assure you." Stated one of the shinobi._

" _Please… Please, don't do it." Naruto whispered quietly._

" _I have no intentions in doing anything, as long as you comply with our orders." Said the shinobi again._

" _Wh… what do you want?" Naruto asked warily as his right hand took out a kunai from his back pocket. He saw the tears drop from her eyes as the shinobi holding the kunai pressed it more closely to her neck and his hands started to shake slightly. Before he could do anything, he saw two more shinobi arrive and stand beside the other shinobi who were standing behind Hinata._

" _We would like you come with us quietly. Make no mistake, come quietly and she will not be harmed."_

 _Calculating the options, he had in his mind, Naruto dropped the kunai on the ground. He sensed their chakra signatures and realized he wouldn't be able to take on all of them, even if he tried. All of them possessed more chakra than normal ANBU and had to be skilled enough if they got past the Hyuuga security guards._

 _The two new shinobi walked towards Naruto and placed at least seven to eight sealing tags on him. Looking around his body cautiously, Naruto realized instantly that they were chakra suppression seals and the fact that he couldn't communicate with the Kyubi or the Sanbi any longer worried him. The shinobi holding the kunai to Hinata's neck, jabbed her on the neck lightly and the last thing she saw was Naruto disappearing along with the other shinobi._

 _A few minutes later, Shizune came out to call Naruto and Hinata back inside for dinner but stopped mid step when she found an unconscious Hinata on the ground. She immediately ran to her and checked her for any injuries. She looked around herself and found no sign of Naruto, other than a kunai that was on the ground a few meters away. Her eyes widened in horror as she realized Naruto must have been taken by someone else._

" _Tsunade-sama! Tsunade-sama! You have to come out here quickly!" Shizune yelled frantically._

 _Flashback End_

"Naruto-kun…!" Hinata called out, as she sat beside him.

"Naruto-kun…!" She nudged him slightly on the side to get his attention, the touch making him flinch slightly. However, it seemed to do the trick as Naruto looked away from his right arm and turned towards Hinata.

"Ah... Hinata-chan. I didn't see when you entered class… oh… most of them came already..." Naruto finished his sentence slowly as looked around the now filled classroom. He looked at the clock beside the blackboard and saw it was around 7:35 am now.

'I spaced out again…' Naruto thought. Sasuke looked at Naruto from the corner of his eyes and sighed as he saw the blond flinch again. He knew Naruto still had trouble interacting with people ever since he came back, especially when someone touched him.

'…there is so much suffering in this world.' Sasuke thought as he once again looked outside the window.

Before Naruto could say anything further to Hinata, the doors to the classroom suddenly opened and two girls came running in and stopped abruptly.

"Ha! I win Ino pig!" yelled a pink haired girl as she took deep breaths.

"Who says you won? My foot was at least a few centimeters ahead of yours, forehead!" yelled the other girl, who too was a blond, but a lighter shade compared to Naruto.

Every student in the classroom sweat dropped looking at the two bickering girls. It was an everyday occurrence with these two. It was frankly quite annoying to everyone but they opted to stay quiet rather than to indulge themselves in their antics.

As the two girls continued to argue amongst themselves, they didn't notice the tall figure that appeared behind them, and thus jumped in surprise when they heard a terrifying voice.

"Sakura, Ino! How many times have I told you not to yell in class!?" exclaimed Iruka, who yet again arrived at the class to a usual scene.

"Sorry Iruka-sensei..." Said Ino, the platinum blond haired girl, as she bowed her head in apology. Iruka shook his head slightly, knowing this would happen again.

"Alright, get to your seats." Iruka stated firmly.

"Hai." replied Sakura, the pink haired girl. Both Ino and Sakura turned around and walked towards their seats. As Sakura walked up the stairs, she looked at Sasuke dreamily, while giving a look of utter dislike to Naruto. Hinata held on to Naruto's hand in a comforting way, not minding the slight flinch coming from him, knowing he didn't like being looked at that way.

"Get lost Sakura." Sasuke said coldly as he saw her staring at Naruto. Sakura stopped midway as she heard Sasuke's words.

Her eyes watered a little, but no one noticed it. She glared at Naruto one last time and quietly made her to the second last bench and sat down. Ino, who was walking behind Sakura, sighed, seeing her best friend's behavior towards Naruto. To this day, she never understood why she disliked the blond. In her opinion, his long blonde hair made him look extremely adorable.

As everyone took their seats, Iruka walked to the podium and flipped through the pages of his book, to start a new topic today. He had planned to give the students a mock test today and to continue with the weapons throwing practice and chakra control exercises in the training ground later.

While flipping through the pages of his book, Iruka found a topic which he had been wanting to talk about for a while with the students.

 _The Three Shinobi Wars and the Hokage_

With the recent events that took place in Konoha in the past two years or so, he was certain that another war would be imminent if a few more major incidents sparked between the villages. His eyes moved to Naruto and Sasuke and he smiled sadly.

'To think these two kids had to go through so much at such a young age' Iruka thought. It was a sorrowful thing indeed. Everyone in the village knew about the _last_ Uchiha and the Kumogakure incident Naruto was involved in, along with his two months kidnapping.

Iruka then looked around the classroom and found most of the students sitting quietly. His eyes turned to the left row and found another usual occurrence.

"SHIKAMARU!"

The Nara heir jumped from his seat and stood groggily. Most of the students laughed at the scene while Shikamaru yawned, further making everyone else laugh. The scenario made Iruka's right eye twitch dangerously.

"Yes Iruka-sensei…?" Shikamaru asked lazily. Iruka, annoyed at Shikamaru's lazy habit curtly asked, "Do you find the classroom to be a place to sleep?"

"No… not really." Shikamaru replied as he yawned yet again. The Nara heir found everything around him to be rather uninteresting and thus slept around most of the time. However, despite his lazy attitude, he was probably the smartest person in the room. A trait which all the Nara seem to share. Shikamaru's attitude annoyed Iruka greatly that he went on to give a long lecture to the Nara boy about classroom ethics and how a shinobi should behave and so, most of the time passed by in that one sided discussion.

"Now that I have _everyone's_ attention, let's start with today's discussion. We will be talking about..." Iruka started when suddenly bell rang. Iruka looked back at the clock and cursed himself for losing track of time.

In the next few minutes, Iruka informed everyone about the mock exam that would be held today to which everyone in the classroom groaned. Iruka then came up to everyone and handed the question sheet for the mock test.

For the next two and a half hours, all the students worked on the exam questions. Naruto, Sasuke and Hinata did not have trouble with the mock exam since they had already gone through most of the topics beforehand when they started training at an early age. In fact, most of the children belonging to clans were trained from an early age and were taught about the shinobi world to better prepare them. It was the civilian students who had more difficulty due to them not having any shinobi background. Most of the civilians aspired to become shinobi due to the extravagant lifestyle their parents believed the shinobi led. Once the time was up, Iruka collected the answer sheets from everyone and stacked it up in a pile.

"Everyone, head to the training ground now. Mizuki sensei and I will be joining you there shortly." Iruka announced before packing up all the sheets and heading out of the room.

* * *

 _ **Training Ground behind the Academy**_

The ground was rectangular and had training dummies at one end for taijutsu practice as well as kunai or shuriken throwing. In the middle of the training ground, there was a circular ring, where the students fought against each other, utilizing their skills in taijutsu only. All the students had arrived at the ground and formed groups among themselves while waiting for their sensei. The boys stood to the left, while the girls stood to the right.

Naruto stood along with Shikamaru, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame and Choji Akamichi. Meanwhile, Sasuke stood to Naruto's left with his hands folded over his chest. Naruto had become good friends with Kiba, Shikamaru, Shino and Choji during his time at the academy. He found the four to be extremely carefree and someone with whom he could spend time with when feeling extremely stressed. Although he did find Choji's excessive eating habits to be strange at times, he never mentioned it out loud. Naruto was glad no one ever spoke to him about that incident in the park a few years back and accepted him as who he was. He just wished he could be open to them about everything in his life and enjoy their company fully.

"Sasuke?" Naruto called out to his oldest friend slowly. The raved haired glanced towards Naruto questioningly.

"Do you want to train after school? I was planning to train by myself at first, but it's been a while since we have trained together, you know…" Naruto said.

Sasuke closed his eyes briefly and replied apologetically "Sorry, Naruto. I got my own training to do… you know how it is."

Naruto internally sighed, hearing Sasuke's answer. He wished Sasuke spoke to him more and spent more time with him, because he wanted to. But Naruto didn't know where to begin. He still hadn't talked to his Kaa-chan, Jiraiya or Sandaime about the events that transpired when he went missing.

A few minutes later Iruka came to the training ground along with Mizuki. Naruto never did like Mizuki as he always sensed something dark in him and decided to stay as far away from the man as he could.

"Everyone!" Iruka called out again to gain everyone's attention.

"We'll have kunai throwing practice now. Mizuki-sensei will be handing you the kunai which you will be throwing. You have to aim at the ten vital points that are marked on the training dummies."

"The first three students will be Kiba Inuzuka, Shikamaru Nara and Shino Aburame." Mizuki announced.

"Good luck guys!" Naruto cheered as he pushed Shikamaru lightly.

"Troublesome blondes…" Shikamaru said under his breath. Naruto chuckled as he heard Shikamaru say his usual line.

"Ha! I got this Naruto. Just watch me!" Kiba said confidently. Akamaru barked in approval, showing his belief in Kiba. Shino merely nodded. Even though the bug user was a silent boy, Naruto liked being around him.

Mizuki handed the kunai to the three students, who then took their positions fifteen meters away from the training dummies.

Shino hit seven of the ten targets that were marked on the training dummies. Kiba hit six out of the ten targets while Shikamaru hit five. Naruto shook his head wondering why the Nara never took anything seriously. He knew Shikamaru was capable of much more than he showed. Sakura and Ino both hit four of the ten specified targets, while Hinata hit eight of the ten targets. Naruto smiled as he knew how hard Hinata had worked on improving herself in all the training they both did together.

"You did great Hinata-chan!" Naruto exclaimed somewhat loudly.

"Tha… Thank you Naruto-kun." Hinata replied as she poked her index fingers together. Even though she had gotten over her habit of stammering immensely in the past few years, she still fidgeted a bit when Naruto praised her. The other students got their turn eventually and many of them managed to hit between five to seven targets.

Finally, the last two students remaining were Naruto and Sasuke. Every other student stared at the Senju and Uchiha heirs. To them, it was the rivalry between the two clans since the founding of the village that amazed and fascinated them which they hoped to see in Naruto and Sasuke, the two best students of their year.

Holding five kunai in each hand, Sasuke stood calmly as his eyes looked over at all the spots on the dummy that were marked. Flicking both his wrists, Sasuke threw all ten kunai that sped through the air and hit all the spots perfectly. Upon seeing this, several of Sasuke's _fan girls_ started to squeal about how their ' _Sasuke-kun'_ was so cool and talented. These fan girls were another thing which annoyed both Naruto and Sasuke. Wherever they went within the village, a bunch of these girls would be following either of them always.

To this day, Naruto was surprised as to how Sasuke managed to ignore so many of these howling girls and maintain his calmness. Naruto cringed even more when he heard Sakura proclaim how her Sasuke was the best thing in the world. He shook his head in annoyance wondering that these are the girls who are supposed to be the future of Konoha.

"Well done Sasuke." Iruka applauded, expecting no less from him.

"Get this over quickly. I can't stand listening to them." Sasuke whispered as he passed by Naruto. The blond couldn't help but chuckle a bit at Sasuke's plea.

As Naruto went ahead to Mizuki to get the kunai, he saw the man giving him an odd look. Keeping him out of his mind, Naruto took the kunai from Mizuki.

'Damn demon brat.' Mizuki thought irritatingly. Mizuki was among the still few shinobi in Konoha who despised Naruto for containing the Kyubi and the Sanbi in him. Even though the majority of the shinobi and the civilians now treated Naruto fairly and not outright hate him, some still could not let go of their hatred for the beasts who killed their loved ones.

"You can do it Naruto-kun!"

"Naru-kun is cool…"

"My Naruto-kun is the best!"

Naruto heard many of the girls yell and sighed. He wished these girls could look past their childhood fantasies and get their minds on reality. Unknown to Naruto and the girls who were cheering on for the blonde, Hinata was mildly glaring at the fan girls.

'Damn hussies. Who do they think they are?' she thought irksomely as she tapped her foot on the ground.

Ignoring all the idiotic yelling, Naruto focused his mind on the targets that were marked on the training dummies. Taking a deep breath, Naruto released the five kunai held in each of his hand swiftly. In the blink of an eye, all ten kunai hit the marked spots on the dummy. Naruto glanced towards Iruka once and saw him nod ever so slightly. Seeing as his work was done, Naruto walked back to his friends and stood beside Hinata and Sasuke.

'Both Naruto and Sasuke live up to their family's heritage. This batch will sure be different compared to the previous ones and the coming ones.' Iruka thought proudly. Over the years, Iruka had become especially close to Naruto, even coming to view him as a son of sorts. Initially, even Iruka viewed Naruto to be nothing more than a nuisance or a demon in disguise. But his views on Naruto changed as he observed him over the past two years. The way he interacted with students around, his kind and helpful nature, surprised Iruka. Even though the blond had gone through so much in his short life, Iruka saw how Naruto was always willing to help other people.

After marking everyone's performance in his notebook, Iruka walked up to the class.

"Alright everyone. That's it for today. You may all leave now." Iruka stated.

As soon as Iruka said that, most of the students went running out of the training ground, glad that the school was over for today. Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other before the raven haired walked out of the academy and shunshined to the Uchiha compound. Kiba, Shikamaru, Choji and Shino too headed out of the academy after they exchanged their goodbyes with Naruto and Hinata, while Ino and Sakura went to the Yamanaka Compound.

"I will see you tomorrow Hinata-chan. I have training to do at home today." Naruto said as he turned to Hinata.

Hinata felt slightly sad that she wouldn't be spending any more time with him, but she understood. She too had noticed the change in Naruto when he came back after those two months. She had promised herself to become stronger so that she could protect those she cared for.

"It's okay, Naruto-kun. I have to train with tou-sama today." Hinata replied with a gentle smile. Naruto nodded and waved goodbye to her as he headed to the Senju Compound.

Once he was sure he was away from the Academy and Hinata, he sighed tiredly.

" **You should talk to someone about how you feel Naruto. It's been almost a year.** " Said Kyubi gravely.

It was a strange relationship that Naruto had developed with the two bijuu. Often, he would go into his mindscape and have a conversation with the two of them. Naruto had even gotten the Sanbi to talk to him a lot more. The two bijuu had come to respect Naruto for his strong will.

"Not now Kyubi… not now." Naruto replied.

* * *

 _ **A few hours later, Senju Compound**_

Naruto sat in a meditative position in the gardens of the Senju compound, with his eyes closed. The back of his right hand was placed lightly on the palm of his left as he tried to feel as much of his surroundings as he could.

This was an exercise which Naruto performed daily to get better feel of his chakra as well as to calm his mind. He still had nightmares and sudden flashbacks of his time when Danzo and that other man experimented on him. Meditation and training helped clear his mind, most times. Naruto had been sitting in this position for the past few hours, since he came back from school. Tsunade and Shizune usually worked in the hospital until two in the afternoon. So Naruto was normally alone in the house until they came back. Hence, Naruto dedicated himself to training most of the time, when he was alone.

With each deep breath, Naruto could feel the chakra in each cell of his body. The fluidity with which his chakra flowed and the sheer enormity and potency of it. Naruto's chakra size and the density of it had grown exponentially, ever since Danzo had experimented on him, his right hand to be more specific.

With his eyes still closed, Naruto clasped his hands together, making the snake hand seal and focused large quantities of chakra. The moment Naruto released his chakra, a gentle gust of wind flew around him and the entire garden lit up abyss with life energy. Trees started to grow all around the garden, the flowers started to bloom and the grass underneath Naruto seemed more fresh and green than they ever did.

"Naru-chan?" Naruto smiled as he heard the gentle voice of his mother.

He immediately got up from his seated position and ran up to his mother. As soon as he got close to her, he engulfed her in a hug and held on to her tightly. Tsunade put her hand on his hair and gently stroked it in a comforting manner.

"What happened Naru-chan?" She asked.

Naruto, now nine years and four months old, reached up to his mother's shoulder. He had his head snuggled up into the crook of his mother's neck. So, when he said something, it sounded incomprehensible to Tsunade.

"What was that Naru-chan?"

"Nothing. I just missed you a lot." Naruto replied as he let go of his mother.

"How was your day today? Did you eat anything after coming from the academy?" Tsunade asked questioningly. Naruto smiled a little as he heard his mother's words. Even though it's been almost a year, he still remembered how much he still missed his mother. The comforting warmth which only a mother could give, Naruto cherished to have a loving mother like her.

"I wasn't really feeling hungry… you know." Naruto replied sheepishly with a slight chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head. Tsunade slightly glared at Naruto as he folded her arms under her busty chest.

"Now, Naru-chan. What did I tell you about eating properly?" Tsunade asked accusingly. She giggled in her mind as she saw a little ghastly look appear on her son's face.

"I… uhm… you know… I thought I could… ehm… eat later…" Naruto replied nervously as he fidgeted slightly under Tsunade's intense glare.

"Now off you go to kitchen, and eat the food, okay?" Tsunade stated.

"Hai! Hai! Kaa-chan!" Naruto replied under his breath.

As she saw Naruto go back inside the house, she giggled slightly at his somewhat depressed expression. However, a sad smile etched on her face as he went inside. She knew how hard he was trying to just stay happy in front of everyone else. It made her sad that he didn't talk even to her yet about what happened in those two months, but she didn't want to pressure him into anything.

She turned around and again just stared at what Naruto could do at such a young age. She remembered when her grandfather used to show his skills with mokuton when she was young. It was surprising to see how far advanced Naruto was in controlling the mokuton Kekkei Genkai. She doubted if her grandfather was this good at his age too.

"Amazing, isn't it?"

"Yes…" Tsunade replied absently.

"How is he doing?"

"Still the same as before. He doesn't want to talk about it Jiraiya." Tsunade said with a sigh.

"Give it some more time. He'll come around." Jiraiya said casually. Tsunade knew that behind that casual tone, was a person who worried a great deal about Naruto.

"What brings you back after three long months?" Tsunade asked.

"The situation in Sunagakure and Kirigakure is not looking good… I have to talk to Sarutobi sensei regarding Konoha's relation to theirs in the future." Jiraiya replied wanly after a brief pause. He wished he could stay in the village more often and spend more time with Naruto, but his work as a spymaster was integral to the village's security.

"Also… I couldn't locate Danzo or Orochimaru yet. He's been always good at evading me." Jiraiya said tiredly. The Toad Sannin had lost much of his respect for his once best friend after Orochimaru had deserted the village. But finding out that the very same person experimented on his godson had infuriated him beyond measure. Even Tsunade clenched her fists tightly as she heard Danzo and Orochimaru's name.

"I will kill them myself the moment I get my hands on those two traitors." Tsunade whispered. Jiraiya placed a comforting hand on Tsunade's shoulder and looked at her sadly. It was a rough two months for everyone when Naruto went missing. But Tsunade probably took it the hardest.

"Their time will come Tsunade… Naruto's been handling the incident better than I expected. He's growing up into a fine man, just like his father." Jiraiya replied with a nostalgic look on his face.

"Jiraiya oji-chan!" Naruto exclaimed happily as he came out again. It had been a few months since he had seen his perverted godfather and he had missed him a lot. Tsunade smiled a little as she saw the delighted smile that came over Naruto's face. It was rare even for her to see him give his true smile to someone these days.

"Hey kiddo." Jiraiya waved with a wide smile.

"Will you be staying this time oji-chan?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Sorry Naruto. I got a lot of work to do outside the village and I just came to talk to Sarutobi-sensei about something urgently." Jiraiya said. Naruto pouted as he heard Jiraiya's answer.

Jiraiya walked closer to the blond and ruffled his hair playfully.

"I will be back in a few weeks and then we can spend some time together, okay?" Jiraiya said.

"You promise?" Naruto asked, still a little crossed face.

"You bet. Now, come on. No need to be sad. Next time when I come, we'll start on something that you always wanted to do okay?" Jiraiya said cheerfully. Naruto stared at Jiraiya confused for a second before he became wide-eyed. He had always wanted to follow on his idol, the Yondaime Hokage's, path. So to be able to learn jutsu invented and perfected by the Yondaime was a dream come true for the little blond.

"Really oji-chan!?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"I promise. I will see you later now. I got to go meet Sarutobi-sensei." Jiraiya said. The Toad Sannin glanced at Tsunade once before shunshining out of the compound.

"Kaa-chan, I am going to Sasuke's house. I will be back in a few hours." Naruto said.

"Be back before sunset okay?" Tsunade said sternly. Naruto nodded his head and ran out of the house to go meet his friend. Tsunade stood in her place as she saw her little blond sunshine go out. She wasn't overly worried now as she knew there were ANBUs following Naruto discreetly at a distance and with Kakashi being one of them, she could rest easy in her home regarding her son's safety.

* * *

 _ **With Naruto**_

As Naruto walked idly towards the Uchiha Compound, his mind wandered off to the changes he could feel in Sasuke's chakra. He didn't really know how to describe it, but it just felt so much colder, so much more hatred in it. It wasn't only Sasuke in whom he could feel a change in chakra. The past few months he could feel that his own chakra had become somewhat different. There were times when he was certain he felt another presence in his mind which was different than the Kyubi and the Sanbi's, something more sentient, but he never found anything conclusive whenever he visited his mindscape.

As he neared the Uchiha compound, he felt an explosion of chakra which felt so dark. Naruto ran towards the Uchiha Compound and entered it. Quickly running towards the source of chakra, Naruto came upon a scene he would remember for the rest of his life.

Sasuke had his back turned to him and was covered in extremely dark purple chakra.

" **Nii-san…** " Naruto faintly heard a sullen voice in his mind.

* * *

 **So, that's a wrap for this chapter. I will post the next chapter definitely in the last week of April, 2017.**

 **The events that happened with Naruto when he was kidnapped by Danzo and how he got out would be shown starting from next chapter onwards. Mainly those moments will be shown in flashbacks when Naruto could relate to that time either by seeing someone or hearing something that might remind him of his time with Danzo.**

 **The Uchiha Massacre took place when Sasuke was around 7 years and 11 months old. Sasuke already had a fully matured sharingan by then. Previously, when i showed a small fight scene between Naruto and Sasuke, I had shown Sasuke with a two tomoe sharingan and he was around 5 years at that time. So, he was able to get the third tomoe through his training with Itachi. Now, I'm just saying to keep in mind that Shisui had unlocked his mangekyou sharingan when he was around 7 or 8 years old. So, if Sasuke achieving the same eyes when he sees Itachi kill his parents shouldn't be far fetched with him already having a fully matured sharingan.**

 **The right arm of Naruto is completely made of Hashirama's cells. Danzo wanted Naruto to play an important role in his plan and to have a better control over his mokuton. Thus, experimenting on him with Hashirama's cells.**

 **Some people might already guess what the other presence in Naruto's mind is. I have a fairly well crafted scenario as to how that happens to Naruto. It's related to Naruto gaining Hashirama's cells and in turn gaining Ashura's chakra.**

 **Please do follow and favorite the story if you come to like it! And do review it, if you are taking time to read the story.**

 **Until next time!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Authors Notes- Hello fellow readers! I had a few tests last week, which caused the delay in the upload of this chapter. Anyhow, here it is.**

 **IMPORTANT- I appreciate the reviews everyone that everyone is giving but I would just like to say one thing, if you have anything against the story that I'm writing or do not like the way I'm writing at all, rather than review it (where everyone can see it), why not personal message me and go about it a more civilized way? There are many people who read the reviews before they begin reading the story. Now, I'm not saying not to review "anything" bad. Just something that may make the future readers to not want to go through the story at all. I always appreciate reviews that help me know where I could improve upon or if I could add something the readers want to see in the story. So, reviews are welcomed. I just request to keep that afore mentioned point in mind.**

 **Now, the flashback shown in this chapter is eerily similar to the torture Kaneki Ken went through in Tokyo Ghoul. At least, that's how I tried to describe it. So, I got the idea from there. And, Black Zetsu talks to Sasuke for the first time in this story. During that conversation, Black Zetsu doesn't mean the mangekyo sharingan when he tells Sasuke about his dormant power. I just wanted to say that before you all read that part, so as to not get confused.**

 **[Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Tokyo Ghoul.]**

 _ **Anyway let the story continue**_

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Growing Distant**

* * *

 _Previously_

 _Sasuke had his back turned to him and was covered in extremely dark purple chakra._

" _ **Nii-san…**_ _" Naruto faintly heard a sullen voice in his mind._

 _Present_

Naruto stood from afar and stared at Sasuke with wide eyes. He had never seen or felt Sasuke's chakra being riled up so much.

'What does he think he is doing?' Naruto thought with a bit of worry. Kakashi, who was standing a few distances away on a tree branch from Naruto, was also surprised at this sudden display from Sasuke. He stood his ground patiently and kept his eyes on the two children.

The chakra swirled around the young Uchiha boy for a few more seconds before it calmed down. Naruto took a single step ahead but stopped when he saw Sasuke turn his head towards him slightly, enough so that Naruto could see his right eye.

A black iris with three red intersecting ellipses stared back at him. Naruto was utterly shocked on seeing this new design in his eyes. As far as he knew, Sasuke only had the three tomoe sharingan.

Cutting the supply of chakra to his eyes, Sasuke's eyes turned back to his normal black color. He turned around to face his longtime friend and stared at him expressionlessly. He turned his eyes towards the tree Kakashi was standing on for a mere second and then returned his gaze back to the blond.

"What are you doing here, Naruto?" Sasuke asked with a frown. Naruto startled by Sasuke's sudden question and wondered if what he had seen was right or not.

"I thought I could come talk to you for a while, you know. It's… been a while since we did that." Naruto finished a bit somberly.

"Things have…" Sasuke started as he gazed up at the cloudy sky.

"…changed Naruto. You have your own goals and I have my own. We don't need to spend all of our time together anymore." Sasuke finished calmly.

Naruto's eyes widened momentarily as he heard Sasuke's words. He may not say it outright, but he was hurt by his words. They rarely spent much together nowadays. Ever since the Uchiha Massacre, he had seen his friend isolate himself from others.

"I can help you Sasuke… Like you promised to help me achieve my dream…" Naruto said with a sad smile.

"You wouldn't understand Naruto." Replied Sasuke irritatingly.

"Then try explaining it to me Sasuke!" Naruto demanded frustratingly.

"I have more important things to do rather than talk with you Naruto. I must train by myself. So please, show yourself out of the compound." Sasuke replied firmly.

Both the boys stared at each other intently for a few minutes but soon enough Naruto turned around and began to walk away from Sasuke. As Naruto walked away, Sasuke's face softened, looking at Naruto's back.

'Forgive me Naruto… I wish everything was as simple as it was earlier. But I can't clear my head nor rest until Itachi pays for what he has done. This burden is mine… and mine alone to bear.' Sasuke thought as he clenched his fists tightly.

His black eyes morphed into the fabled mangekyō sharingan as a few tears dropped from his eyes. He still remembered the day he acquired these eyes. The image of his mother and father lying dead on the ground was still stuck in his mind like a fresh memory. Deciding to train until dusk, Sasuke turned around and walked to the middle of the field.

Kakashi was about to go after Naruto, when he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"I will go after him Kakashi-sensei. It has been a while since I have spoken to him." Kakashi merely eye smiled, knowing well that the two were close to each other.

* * *

 _ **Hokage's Office**_

Sarutobi Hiruzen sat in his chair with his elbows on the desk, eyes closed and chin rested on his hands. Jiraiya stood near the open window beside Hokage's desk as he saw his sensei going over all the information he had given him regarding Sunagakure, Kirigakure and the two infamous traitors of Konohagakure no Sato- Orochimaru and Danzo Shimura.

"So, you want me to aid the Resistance group when they come to Konoha asking for help in their civil war?" Sarutobi questioned again.

"That's right. Right now, Konoha does not have an alliance with any nation other than Wind Country and that too is exceedingly fragile. The Resistance group is currently led by a woman named Mei Terumi. I have heard she is a reasonable woman and wishes to free the Land of Water from the Yondaime Mizukage's reign and open the country to other nations for trade purposes. In two years or so, I am certain that she will travel to other nations requesting for help. With Konoha being the closest to Mizu no Kuni, our village is a viable option for them." Jiraiya stated.

Sarutobi nodded his head. With Danzo leaving the village and taking a large portion of his own ANBU with him, the village could be prone to attack. Even though Danzo wished to rule the village based on his own vision, he had still helped in protecting their home during times of imminent danger. If Sarutobi's years of experience being Hokage and the Three Shinobi World Wars taught him anything, he knew if the Elemental Nations followed the path it was taking right now, a major incident involving the five great nations could spark up another Shinobi War at any moment. Thus, having more allies during such times would be beneficial for Konoha's existence.

"Have you found anything further about the group called Akatsuki?" Sarutobi asked gravely.

"I haven't been able to find their hideouts as of yet. I doubt they are somewhere in the Land of Lightning, due to the high number of Kumogakure shinobi patrolling the borders and the area within. Even the Land of Wind seems unlikely. Land of Earth and Land of Water seems plausible. The Tsuchikage has been known to make deals with Akatsuki to clear out some of the villages and not get his own hands dirty in the process. In Mizu no Kuni, most of the land is in chaos due to the civil war that's been going on in Kirigakure." Jiraiya explained

"Have you tried looking around any of the minor villages?" Sarutobi asked.

It's not that Jiraiya had not thought about them. It's just that the number of minor villages in the Elemental Nations are over a dozen. Also, considering that the group is going after the nine bijuu, it would be more plausible for the Akatsuki to be somewhere within the Five Great Nations, where it would much easier for members of the group to travel around.

"No, not yet. It is going to take some time to look around all the areas alone." Jiraiya replied after a while. If it was anyone else, Sarutobi would have been extremely skeptical of getting the job done. But he trusted Jiraiya and knew he could handle most of the problems that may come his way.

"For the time being, you should stay in Konoha and train Naruto-kun as much as you can. He must be prepared for when they come for him. We don't know anything about the group other than the fact that they are collecting the bijuus. It would be helpful for Naruto-kun to be prepared if he encounters any of the Akatsuki members alone. I will contact Kumogakure and Sunagakure regarding this information soon and try to set a meeting with Kazekage to strengthen the alliance between Konohagakure and Sunagakure." Sarutobi said.

"I was planning to anyway. The kid still has a lot to learn. He could probably take on a high level Jounin as he is now, but he hesitates to fight when he is facing opponents in numbers. He has more potential than Minato, which is surprising. I didn't really think I would get another student like Minato, let alone someone who could surpass him. But Naruto is his son. So, I suppose I shouldn't be that surprised." Jiraiya said fondly.

Sarutobi smiled, listening to Jiraiya. It made him glad to see how much his student cared about Naruto and how highly he thought of the kid. There were times when the aged Hokage wished if he could have done the sealing of the Kyubi and Sanbi instead of Minato. At least then Minato would have been here to see his son grow up.

"Well, get going now Jiraiya. I got work to do." Sarutobi said as he sat upright on his chair. He internally cursed looking at all the paperwork that was in front of him. Jiraiya snickered a bit seeing his sensei's face. Bidding farewell to his sensei, Jiraiya jumped out of the window and made his way towards one of his favorite locations within the village- the Bathhouses.

* * *

 _ **Few Hours later, on the Hokage Mountain**_

The evening rays of the sun casted an orange and reddish glow, portraying the village in an aesthetic view.

On a small clearing on top of the Hokage Monument, Naruto stood, panting heavily. For the past few hours, the blond had been training himself and sparring with his **Moku Bunshin** to clear his head. He had become upset by Sasuke's behavior and was honestly starting to get a bit annoyed. Sasuke wasn't the only one with problems. He couldn't remember everything that happened to him when he was kidnapped, but he did recall certain facts… facts which shattered his illusion of reality. He had tried many times to remember the other parts, but it was futile. It felt like there was a barrier that prevented him from knowing. He may not know what exactly Sasuke was feeling, but he sincerely wanted to help and understand him, because in a way, they both were the same.

Technically, they both were the last of their clan- the Uzumaki and Uchiha. They both were leaps beyond the children of their age group. They both were clan heirs of the two most influential clans in Konoha. They both have seen the darkness that resides in this shinobi world at a young age.

Naruto blankly looked to his left at a distance at the Hokage's faces, specifically at the Yondaime's face. He really did not know what to feel about that man.

Standing straight again, Naruto clasped his hands together and whispered

" **Moku Bunshin no Jutsu** "

Immediately, seven **Moku Bunshin** formed around the blond, each of them having considerable amount of chakra to last for a while. Three of the bunshin stood right in front of him, two to his left and two to his right.

The two **Moku Bunshin** standing on either side of them ran at him with impeccable speeds, intent on putting their creator to the ground. As the bunshin closed in on Naruto, the blond took out four shuriken from his pouch, taking two in each of his hands. With precision, Naruto threw the shuriken at the four bunshin that were just a few meters away from him. One of the bunshin to his left used the one beside him as a shield and promptly jumped out of the way, causing the one used as shield to revert to wood and dissolve into the ground upon impact with the shuriken. While the two on the right side stepped the attack, making the shuriken just gaze past their bodies. Using the bunshin's momentary distraction, Naruto took out his kunai and jumped towards the three **Moku Bunshin** in front who were already finishing hand seals for a suiton jutsu.

" **Suiton: Mizurappa** " yelled the three bunshin together, shooting jets of water from their mouth towards Naruto who was approaching them speedily. Stopping briefly, Naruto formed the snake seal on his right hand and said,

" **Mokuton: Mokujoheki** "

Instantly wooden pillars formed all around Naruto and joined together, forming a dome like structure around him. As soon as the jet of water impacted the wall, Naruto kept up his concentration and supplied ample amount of chakra into the jutsu to withstand the suiton attack. A few seconds later, when Naruto was sure the suiton attack had ended, he made the wooden pillars forming the dome start to retreat into the ground. Simultaneously, Naruto utilized the **Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu** , to turn a small area of ground into fine sand so he could dig through it.

Once the wooden dome fully retreated to the ground, the six **Moku Bunshin** still left standing find the original Naruto to be nowhere in sight. Keeping their guard up, they look around cautiously for any sneak attack. A few seconds later, Naruto emerged out of the ground behind one of the bunshin with his left hand covered in chakra. The blond planted a firm punch to the bunshin's face, making him fly back and smash with another bunshin, making both burst into pieces of wood. The remaining four bunshin swiftly moved out of the way before anything could happen to them.

Naruto then proceeded to settle into his taijutsu stance that had been taught to him by his mother at an early age. Keeping his left foot forward and his right foot slightly behind, Naruto crouched down just a bit to steady himself on the ground. His feet seemed staggered and placed slightly wider than the hips which gave him a weight distribution of fifty-fifty on between both his feet. Both feet were angled a little to the outside and the knees were facing in the same direction. Having his knees and feet aligned in this position gave him the aptitude to minimize any leakage of force and provide a more stable base. His pelvis was positioned directly underneath his shoulders, which allowed him a stronger defense and assisted him in transferring the force to his extremities and improve his balance by keeping the spine in an optimal position. His right elbow and forearm stayed close to his body while his left arm was placed slightly in front, to act as the first line of defense and offense.

He looked at his opponents as bit of sweat rolled down his forehead. It had been a few hours since he was training. The four **Moku Bunshin** ran towards the blond yet again with persistence. As soon as the first bunshin reached Naruto with a right hook, the blond feinted a punch to his jaw and instantly bent down to sweep the bunshin off his leg, causing his opponent to fall to the ground. The blond had no time to rest, as he saw the remaining three bunshin approaching him from three different directions. Swatting away a punch from his right, Naruto took hold of that bunshin and threw him towards the bunshin coming at him from front. Instantly ducking down, Naruto kneed the bunshin on his left and gave him a chakra enhanced punched, causing him to shatter into pieces of woods right at that moment.

Taking out six more kunai from his pouch, Naruto swiftly threw it towards the three downed bunshin rapidly. Two kunai hit each of the bunshin directly in their vital spots, turning them into pieces of wood. Seeing as it was all over, Naruto tiredly sat down on the ground. Looking at the destroyed ground around himself, Naruto kept both his palms on the ground and transferred some of his chakra into the ground. The result was instantaneous, as the ground around him became abuzz with life energy, causing the shattered ground to repair itself, the trees and flowers to bloom and look fresh, as if nothing had happened over the area. Naruto sighed in relief and just laid his back on the ground. He stared at the setting sun for a few seconds and closed his eyes as he decided to take a little rest after exhausting himself for hours.

"It's been quite a while… Naruto."

Said blond boy sat upright the moment he heard that voice and found him standing a few meters away in front of him. A small smile crept up his face on seeing him. It had indeed been quite a while, almost eight months as he remembered. Getting up from the ground, Naruto made his way forward and stopped before his friend.

"Sai…" Naruto whispered. He had missed him a lot.

 _Flashback_

 _Naruto sat tied to a chair with a cloth wrapped around his eyes. The room in which he sat was large and all he could smell around him was the stench of blood. The blond felt sick just to be sitting here but he couldn't move an inch due to the ninja wire that was tied around him tightly nor could he use his chakra. His chakra was sealed off with the large number of chakra blocking seals and he couldn't even talk to Kyubi or Sanbi. Tears freely rolled down his face as he was missing his Kaa-chan and being at home._

 _It had been almost a week since he had been taken by those ANBU to a location he did not know. He guessed it was probably a base of operations for the Root ANBU's leader outside of Konohagakure. He had met the man who controlled these ANBU called Root- Danzo Shimura- and the blond despised him for his traitorous ideals regarding Konoha. The first few days he was kept locked in a room and was made to go through several different tortures and it was during those sessions that the old war hawk talked about how he wished to make Konoha stand atop the other villages through any means possible, whether it be colliding with enemies or having to break down Konoha resident's minds to make them join him in his crusade._

 _He tilted his head slightly up when he heard footsteps approaching him._

" _My… My, Naruto-kun… you look so pale. I see that you have been well taken care of." Naruto heard a sickly-sweet voice. He shuddered a little on hearing it but tried putting up a brave front._

" _Wh… who are… you?" Naruto stuttered in a low voice._

 _The Snake Sannin standing before the Senju heir smiled sickly and licked his lips upon seeing the trepidation in Naruto's voice. Oh, how he loved to experiment with test subjects who showed such promise and uncover the mysteries of chakra and ninjutsu; and Naruto right now was an enigma to him, especially his ability to use Mokuton. He knew Naruto wasn't a Senju by birth. He had the blood of a Namikaze and an Uzumaki in him. Even though Uzumaki clan were distantly related to the Senju Clan, it was unheard for any Uzumaki to have the Mokuton Kekkei Genkai, let alone a half blooded Uzumaki. He was certain Minato did not belong to the Senju Clan either, having collected and tested his blood samples a long time back. However, he knew the Shodai Hokage and Naruto had to be related somehow for both to possess the Mokuton Kekkei Genkai naturally._

" _Who I am is of no importance, young Naruto-kun. But you, on the other hand, are an extremely important subject. To be able to naturally use the Mokuton Kekkei Genkai while not being a Senju by birth is certainly surprising." Orochimaru said as he eyed the blond for his reaction._

 _Naruto's mind came to a rough stop when he heard those words. His eyes widened behind those blindfolds as his entire body became still. Images of his childhood and his mother flashed through his mind._

" _No… no… no… you're lying. She is my Kaa-chan." Naruto whispered as he shook his head in denial._

" _Oh, I wouldn't lie to you Naruto-kun… I have known Tsunade a long time and she has never had a child of her own." Replied Orochimaru as he brought forth a table which had a variety of medical equipment along with a vial that contained some sort of liquid._

 _Naruto remained quiet and shut his eyes closed, not wanting to hear anything more from the man._

" _You know… you should never trust anyone too much. Remember, even the devil was once an angel." Orochimaru thought out loud as he picked up one of the syringes and filled it up with the liquid that was in the vial._

" _SHUT UP!" Naruto screamed in anger but stopped abruptly when he felt something stab his thigh. He felt some sort of liquid enter his body and suddenly started to feel a lot weaker._

" _I didn't ask you to scream now, did I Naruto-kun?" Orochimaru asked as he cleaned off the injection and put it back on the table. The snake Sannin ignored the whimpers that escaped the blonde's mouth and looked over all the equipment that was laid over the table._

 _Senbon Needles, kunai, Heretics fork, thumbscrew, amputation knives, tongs and several other medical devices that could be used to hold open the mouth._

 _Turning back to the blond, Orochimaru walked closer to Naruto, moved his hand over Naruto's face and smiled creepily. His only job was to break the kid mentally so he would have no shard of emotion left in him. Make him into a soldier who Danzo could use at his whim. Of course, he wasn't doing it out of generosity. If he wasn't given Shodai's cells for his own personal experimentation, he wouldn't be here right now._

 _Orochimaru then removed all the chakra suppression seals from him except those that prevented him from contacting his bijuu. The chakra blocking seals were no longer required as the liquid he just gave Naruto would render him from making use of chakra anyway._

 _Naruto felt a cold sensation run through him when he felt the man's finger touch his face. He sobbed but still tried to not outright scream in fear._

" _Now, Naruto-kun… let the fun begin!" Orochimaru stated with a laugh._

 _Naruto was about to say something, but ended up screaming in pain when more than five or six senbon needles were plunged in his body._

" _AHHHH" groaned Naruto as Orochimaru pressed the needles deep into his skin._

" _Wonderful Naruto-kun… truly wonderful. I have placed each of the needles in nociceptors, that should increase your perception of pain." Orochimaru said out loud as he stood right in front of Naruto. Taking two kunai, Orochimaru made two large slashes in the blonde's forearms making him scream further._

" _AHHHH… AHHHH…ple…plea…please st...stop…" Naruto said in between staggered breaths. The blood from his wounds dropped on the floor, making a puddle._

" _Yes. Yes, Naruto-kun. Give me more!" screamed the snake Sannin madly. Orochimaru then proceeded to stab the blond in most of the vital points in his body with the two kunai. Just long enough to let the sensation of pain course through the blonde's entire body and then taking out the kunai._

" _NO…please… please… stop it…" Naruto begged, but the Snake Sannin heard none of it. By now, Naruto's once white shirt and blue pants had become red due to the copious amount of blood flowing out of his little body._

 _Now, holding the thumbscrew in his hands, Orochimaru placed Naruto's fingers gently in between the metal surface and the flat end of the screw. The blond had no strength to even pull his hands off and simply gave in to pain that was awaiting him. As Orochimaru tightened the screw, it lowered itself onto Naruto's fingers and began crushing them to point where the blonde's fingernails started to come off._

" _AHHHHH…. AAAAHHHH…. NOO!… stop… please… just make it stop…" Naruto breathed out painfully as his body shook uncontrollably._

" _How fascinating… Naruto-kun…" Orochimaru whispered sickly. He was honestly surprised to see that the blonde was still conscious, albeit barely._

" _Do you want me to kill you Naruto? Do you want me to free you from this wretched world, Naruto-kun!?" Orochimaru screamed madly._

" _Pl…please… kill me…" Naruto said in between breath. His eyes were almost closed and he breathed heavily to take in oxygen into his body._

 _Orochimaru was about to proceed to his next method when he heard the door to the room open. Seeing Danzo standing at the opening, he knew his time for today was over._

" _We'll see each other tomorrow again, Naruto-kun." Orochimaru whispered into Naruto's ears before leaving the room. Danzo scoffed, looking at the blonde's pathetic condition. He despised weak people and he would make sure that Naruto would turn out to be one of his best Root ANBU operatives._

 _Looking to his right, Danzo motioned for the boy standing beside him to come closer._

" _Go clean this mess now. Make sure to clean every drop of blood." Ordered the old war hawk._

" _Hai, Danzo-sama" said the boy, trying to sound as emotionless as possible. However, Danzo could make out the fear that was laced in his voice._

" _Get going!" commanded Danzo. The boy hurriedly went inside the room with a bucket of water and a cloth as Danzo walked back to his office._

 _As the boy reached near Naruto, his eyes roamed his still body. The only sign that showed that he was alive was the light movement of his chest. He dropped the bucket on the ground with a loud thud as he saw the amount of blood he had lost._

" _Wh… who's there?" Naruto whispered out fearfully upon hearing the sound._

" _I'm not going to hurt you." The boy said as gently as he could. He knew all the Root ANBU must be put through some sort of mental torture to make them field ready, but this was extreme, even to him._

 _Dipping the cloth in the water, he began to rub the blood-stained floor. Naruto didn't know why, but he felt like he could maybe trust this person, and judging from the voice, the boy was the same age as him._

 _After a few minutes passed by, Naruto released a groan. The pain was not getting less, rather, it felt like it was increasing every passing minute._

" _I… I'm Naruto." Said the blond in a low voice._

 _The boy curiously looked the blond for a few seconds before he replied._

" _I'm Sai."_

 _Flashback End_

Naruto put his hand forward which was held by Sai, and the two boys shook hands as a sign of greeting to each other.

"Where have you been? It's been so long…" Naruto said softly.

"I was drafted to the ANBU after we were brought back to the village. I'm outside the village most of the time, due to the missions." Sai replied. Naruto chuckled lightly upon hearing Sai's voice. His voice still sounded somewhat emotionless. But he guessed to was probably due to him being taught to act that way since childhood.

Sai's left eyebrow twitched on seeing the blond laugh. He knew very well what he was laughing about and it annoyed him to no end.

"I could leave, if all you're going to do is laugh… dickless." Sai said with a smirk.

"Hey! I'm not dickless!" Naruto said indignantly.

"I can never be sure if you have a dick or not." Sai said frankly as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Just shut up…" Naruto yelled, embarrassed. Naruto stared at Sai annoyingly while Sai stared back at the blond blankly and after a few minutes both started to laugh lightly.

"I'm glad we met today. I missed you." Naruto said honestly.

"I know. I will try visiting you more often from now." Sai said.

The two sat down on the ground in comfortable silence and gazed over at the moon that was now visible in the evening sky.

"Are you feeling okay Naruto?" Sai asked hesitantly.

"I… don't want to talk about it now. Can we just sit quietly here?" Naruto asked.

The two proceeded to sit quietly in the clearing on top of the mountain and talk amongst themselves about what they had done in the past few months for another half an hour before they both proceeded to go back. Naruto left to the Senju Compound, while Sai returned to ANBU headquarters to meet up with Kakashi and give his report of what Naruto had done after he left the Uchiha Compound.

* * *

 _ **Meanwhile at the Uchiha Compound**_

Sasuke laid on the ground, taking deep breaths as he stared into the night sky. His three tomoe sharingan gazed over at the moon tiredly. Suddenly he stood upright with confused eyes staring at the moon. He could have sworn he saw the image of concentric rings in the moon with nine tomoes in it. He rubbed his eyes and stared into the sky again and saw nothing this time.

'Must be my imagination…' Sasuke thought. The past few hours Sasuke had worked on his **Katon** nature and **Raiton** natured chakra along with some taijutsu katas and physical exercises. He had learned the basics of channeling raiton chakra through his kunai a while back when Itachi was still here as well as a few jutsu for katon nature.

Getting up from the ground, Sasuke began to walk back into the house, when he suddenly threw his kunai towards a tree. Looking towards the tree, he found no one to be there.

"Who's there?" Sasuke asked out loud. He was sure he had felt a strange presence just a second ago. He remembered feeling this same presence a few years ago too.

" **So, it was you… who inherited Mother's prowess… young Sasuke-kun.** " Sasuke looked around himself to look for someone who said those words, but couldn't find anyone. The wind rustled in the area, making the tree branches waver lightly.

"Who's there!? Come out now!" Sasuke demanded. Taking out another kunai, he threw them towards the tree to his right speedily.

" **I'm so glad that you sensed my presence.** " Sasuke heard again.

A few seconds later, Sasuke eyes widened when he saw a completely black humanoid figure rise out of the branch of that tree. The figure lacked any noticeable hair or visible orifices and seemed to be made completely of that black mass.

"What do you want? Why do you keep following me?" Sasuke asked as he glared at the black figure with his sharingan.

" **You will grow strong. You have the desire and talent for Ninshu. However, you're still not aware of your true power.** " Said the black figure seriously.

"Ninshu? My _True Power_?" Sasuke questioned again. He was beginning to get irritated now.

" **An even greater power lies dormant inside of you… young Sasuke-kun…** "

"… **But there is one condition to awaken that power.** " Sasuke listened closely to the black figure, somehow wanting to know if there is indeed a greater power that lies inside of him.

"You still didn't tell me, who you are and how would you know that?" Sasuke asked again.

" **It doesn't matter.** " Replied the black figure.

" **If you awaken your power… my wish will come true one day.** " The black figure said as he gazed at the moon. Memories of the moment when he saw his mother being sealed several millennia ago came to his mind.

" **Never mind that… We were talking about awakening your power. Would you like to know how?** " asked the black figure.

" **It has nothing to do with training, you know…** " the black figure said and saw how intrigued Sasuke looked right now.

" **You must lose love… Like losing a person you love.** " Sasuke's eyes widened upon hearing that. For some reason images of Naruto came into his mind when he thought of the only person he cared about right now and realized what the creature was talking about.

"Shut up!" Sasuke screamed. The black figure smiled wickedly on seeing Sasuke's reaction. He was sure in the future that his plans would come to fruition.

" **We'll be seeing each other soon, young Sasuke-kun.** " Said the black figure as he receded into the ground and disappeared.

Sasuke stood still in the field for a few more minutes as he took deep breath to calm his mind. Glancing one last time at the spot where the black figure was standing, Sasuke walked back into the house.

* * *

 _ **Six months Later**_

Naruto idly walked back from the Academy to his home. Not much had happened in the village in the last six months. Sasuke and he rarely talked to each other ever since that day. Naruto had stopped bothering him to spend time together. He realized it was pointless to force him to change his mind about something. He hoped it would have been different, but he had understood people don't get everything they desire.

Despite all that, Naruto was somewhat proud that he was advancing in his fuinjutsu studies. He was a level eight seal master now and according to Jiraiya, he was extremely gifted in the field. Given a couple of years of time, Naruto was sure he could become a level ten seal master and learn the jutsu which made the Yondaime Hokage famous in the Elemental Nations. Even though he was unsure about his feelings regarding the Yondaime Hokage, whom he knew to be his father, he still idealized the man to be the greatest Hokage and yearned to be like him. But his greatest achievement so far was his advancement in medical ninjutsu. His mother and Shizune had started teaching him ever since he came back and he would get pains in his arm. It was relaxing to him personally and it brought him immense happiness at the idea of treating other people.

As he neared the Senju Compound, Naruto remembered that his birthday was coming up in about a week. He was going to ask his Kaa-chan, Jiraiya oji-chan and Sandaime jiji about his birth parents at that time. He still loved Tsunade dearly, because to him, she is the only mother figure he has ever known and shown him unconditional love. But he still wished to know about his father and his birth mother. The only thing he knew about Yondaime was his tales as Hokage and he had never heard about his birth mother, Kushina Uzumaki.

Reaching his house, Naruto entered through the main gate and then walked towards the main towards door. Removing his shoes outside the door, Naruto walked inside.

"I'm home Kaa-chan!" Naruto yelled loudly. Even though he knew his mother was in the next room, in the hall, he always did that. A habit he had acquired since his childhood days.

"How many times have I told you not to shout Naru-chan?" Tsunade said as she walked over to Naruto. She gave him a mock glare but had to let go of that when she saw him pout.

"Now, come on, get changed and come down. Jiraiya will be coming soon. He needs to talk to you about something." Tsunade said.

"Hai! Hai! Kaa-chan." Naruto replied as he ran past his mother upstairs to his room.

'What am I going to do with him?' Tsunade giggled a little as she too went back to looking over the paperwork from the hospital.

About half an hour later, Naruto came downstairs wearing his grey t-shirt along with black pants. As he entered the hall, he saw his mother sitting at the table going over some paperwork. Shizune was busy in her shift at hospital, which was normally from morning seven to four in the evening. He saw Jiraiya sitting on the chair beside his mother and looking out the window towards the gardens. He briefly wondered what it was his oji-chan wished to talk about and a lot of different scenarios came to his mind, which made him extremely excited.

"Jiraiya oji-chan, what did you want to talk about?" Naruto asked as he walked towards the Toad Sannin.

"Is it going to be a new jutsu?"

"A katana or chokutō?"

"Or a new fuinjutsu book perhaps? Naruto eagerly asked his questions. Jiraiya laughed slightly on seeing the eagerness on Naruto's face. A sense of nostalgia passed in his mind as it reminded him of the time he used to train Minato, who also used to act childish at times.

"Yeah, I did promise to teach you one of the Yondaime's prized jutsu, remember?" Jiraiya stated. Naruto's eyes slightly widened on hearing that.

"Really Oji-chan!?" Naruto asked again, just to make sure.

"Now, now Naru-chan. Listen first and then react okay?" Tsunade said as she ruffled his hair playfully. But she couldn't blame him for being excited. She knew how much her son idolized Minato and his strength as the Yondaime Hokage.

"Yes. Now, I will be leaving the village this evening for some work and I will be gone for a few days. So, I have written down all the steps and materials required to learn the jutsu in this scroll." Jiraiya said as he handed Naruto a blue scroll with the kanji for _Rasengan_ on it. Taking the scroll in his hands, Naruto hugged his godfather tightly to express his emotion.

Opening the scroll, Naruto quickly went through the contents of the scroll and was amazed at the versatility of the jutsu.

"I'm going to master it in less than a week!" Naruto proclaimed. Jiraiya simply stared at the blond for a few seconds before he burst out laughing.

"Kid, it took the Yondaime three years to create and master the jutsu. Don't get too confident. It's not as easy as it looks. Even for me, it took more than a few months." Jiraiya said smugly. While Jiraiya was unsure of Naruto's proclamation, Tsunade had a feeling that this was a bet Jiraiya wasn't going to win.

"Just you wait and see, next time you come back, I will have already mastered the jutsu." Naruto said with determination. Both Jiraiya and Tsunade were slightly taken aback hearing the determination in his voice.

Motioning for the blond to come closer to him, Jiraiya kept his hand on Naruto's long blond hair and looked him in the eyes for a good one minute.

"I trust in you, Naruto. If there's anyone who can surpass the Yondaime Hokage or any of the other Hokages in the past, it's you." Jiraiya said softly.

* * *

 **So, that's a wrap for this chapter. I will be posting the next chapter for this story sometime between May 12 or May 16, 2017.**

 **Now this chapter showed how Sasuke started to grow distant from even Naruto and that the thought of getting revenge against Itachi was clouding his mind more and more every passing day. His talk with Zetsu was an important one, as it will influence him to do something drastic later, in the future. Sasuke still doesn't know the powers of his mangekyo sharingan yet, so he won't be using it. I believe the mangekyo sharingan's powers naturally come to the user based on how dangerous the situation is and also on the user's strong will. So, it will be some time before Sasuke actually uses any Mangekyo sharingan techniques.**

 **Naruto started learning fuinjutsu at the age of five and he was already gifted in that field. So, I assume by the time he graduates from the academy, that is when he is of age 12, he should be proficient enough in that field to be able to start learning the concepts of Hiraishin. Learning that jutsu will take some time too. It won't be mere two years or so. Also, the events that transpired with Naruto during the time he was tortured by Orochimaru will also be shown from Sai's point of view later on. How the relationship between Sai and Naruto developed along with the materialization of Ashura's consciousness in naruto's mind will be shown in upcoming chapters conveniently.**

 **Do follow and favorite the story if you come to like it and review it so that I can know in what ways I could improve the flow of the story.**

 **Until next time!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author Notes- Hello fellow readers! I came home a few weeks back and had gotten busy with family and friends because of which I couldn't get enough time to finish this chapter.**

 **Anyway, this chapter onwards, I have started to show some of the protagonists that will be featured in this story. It's not much, but its a start. I know, the story may be going a little in some people's opinion, but I will start advancing from chapter 15 onwards. Naruto is currently 10 years old.**

 **[Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.]**

 _ **Anyway, let the story continue**_

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Growth**

* * *

 _ **Evening, Amegakure no Sato**_

An orange haired man with a pair of strange silver eyes stood atop the tallest building in the highly industrialized but small village that is Amegakure no Sato. The building had four humanoid faces at each side and is connected to two smaller towers. He seemed to be standing still and kept his eyes glued to the cloudy sky despite the rain that fell most of the time.

While one side of the village looked habitable due to the number of concentrated buildings in that area, the other parts of the village were in shambles. Most of the buildings were destroyed due to the past Shinobi Wars that took place in this village. Because of Amegakure's location between three of the Five Great Shinobi nations, it has frequently served as a battle field during the previous Shinobi Wars. Due to this, most of the population of this village are war refugees. Amegakure has adopted a heavy isolationist policy because of this, leading to the village's defenses to be abnormally impenetrable.

For several years, the village was led by Sanshouo no Hanzo (Hanzo of the Salamander), a notoriously powerful shinobi. Despite his power, Hanzo was deeply paranoid and rarely appeared in public for fear of being assassinated. However, his reign came to an end after the Third Shinobi World War, when a group called Akatsuki began advocating for peace. At some point after the end of the war, a civil war broke out in the village to remove Hanzo from power. Akatsuki and the rebel factions, which was led by an individual known only as _Pain,_ symbolized their rejection of Hanzo by placing a horizontal slash across their forehead protector. With Pain's near-godlike powers, Hanzo and his forces were overthrown, with Pain being the one to personally kill Hanzo. Pain then went on to kill anyone even remotely connected to Hanzo, from close family to distant acquaintances, so that none would ever emerge to take revenge.

Thus, Pain became the new leader of Amegakure no Sato, who came to be revered as a god by the populace because of his power and contributions during the civil war. However, none ever saw Pain directly. His decrees instead, were communicated to Amegakure's citizen by his _angel_ , who came to be revered almost as highly as Pain himself. The only thing Amegakure's citizens could conclusively say about Pain was that he stopped the perpetual rain every Sunday and whenever he had to leave the village. The rain that fell in the village is a perception ninjutsu, allowing Pain to freely manipulate the rain infused with his own chakra. During this technique, the falling raindrops are closely linked to Pain's senses. When the rain is obstructed by a chakra belonging to someone not of the village, the existence of the intruder could be detected.

Since Pain uses Amegakure as his base of operations for his work with Akatsuki, knowledge of the happenings inside the village never reaches the other shinobi villages. Even knowledge of Amegakure's civil war was not common throughout the Elemental Nations and news of Pain's victory was completely unknown to the point that other villages believed Hanzo to still be in charge.

"Pain-sama." The orange haired man turned around and looked blankly at the tall woman with straight blue hair, amber colored eyes along with lavender eye shadow and a labret piercing.

"What is it Konan?" Pain asked flatly.

"Itachi and Hiruko have returned from the borders of Kaminari no Kuni. Sasori and Kakazu too have come back from Kaze no Kuni. They are awaiting further orders in the chambers. Both teams have gotten a detailed layout of the area surrounding the village, as well as the locations of the Ichibi, Nibi and Hachibi jinchuriki. However, the security in Kumogakure no Sato is highly firm. Getting the Nibi and Hachibi without direct confrontation with Kumo won't be possible." Said the Angel of Amegakure no Sato emotionlessly.

"It was never my intention to leave the villages unscathed. The Five Great Shinobi villages have lived long enough without facing the consequences of their actions in the past. They shall know and understand pain soon, when God himself forces his judgment on them. Go and wait with the others, Konan. I will be there shortly." Pain replied calmly as he turned away from the Angel of Ame. As usual, Konan accepted the orders given to her and went inside the tower to wait with rest of the members of Akatsuki. After a few minutes of quietly observing the rainy sky, Pain made his way to the chamber inside the tower where the members waited.

As Pain stepped into the chamber where all the current members of Akatsuki were standing, Konan walked and stood beside him. Konan was the among the original founders of the Akatsuki and thus had more say in the group compared to the other members. While Pain and Konan stood on one side of the room, all the other members stood before them with the same emotionless mask on their face. They all once belonged to a village and served them loyally. However, the circumstances they all went through forced them to become rouge and eventually join this group by the leader of Akatsuki.

All the members of the group wore long, black cloaks with red clouds, a red interior and chin-high collar. The red clouds represented the rain of blood that fell in Amegakure during its wars and were viewed as a symbol of justice. The robes are very distinctive, allowing members of Akatsuki to be identified even from a distance.

"We still need more members and funds to carry out the mission that we will be focusing on in a few years' time. Until that time, keep hunting more missing ninja and collect their bounties to increase our funds. I will be out of Amegakure for a few weeks, so there's no need to return here until you're contacted." Pain stated firmly.

"Hai, Leader-sama." Responded the other members. Before Pain left the room, he glanced towards Konan, giving her a silent message, which she understood clearly.

"Itachi, Pain-sama wishes to speak to you regarding the Kyubi and Sanbi jinchuriki." Konan said to the ex-Konoha ninja. Itachi, who had his eyes closed all this time, opened them to reveal his red eyes upon hearing the subject and merely nodded as his eyes returned to his normal black color. While the other members of the group made their way outside the tower from the left, Itachi and Konan walked out the room from the right to make their way to Pain.

* * *

 _ **Next Day, Early Morning in Konohagakure no Sato**_

Hinata Hyūga, the heiress of the prestigious Hyūga Clan, was walking to the Academy along with her two bodyguards Ko and Usagi. Ko was a man of average height and build with short brown hair and backward spikes. Like most Hyūga, he had white pupil-less eyes along with having a broad and well defined nose. He wore the standard Konoha uniform inclusive of a flak jacket and forehead protector that he wears like a bandanna. Casually, Ko wears the Hyūga clan's signature black kimono. Usagi had medium length dark colored brown hair that she often kept tied up in an unkempt high pony tail with bangs parted down the middle. She too had the all-seeing white eyes of the Hyūga clan and creamy white skin. She carried a tantō on her back signifying that she was skilled user in the arts of kenjutsu.

The two bodyguards were from the branch family and were among the two most skilled shinobi of the Hyūga Clan. Ever since the Kumogakure incident that took place five years ago, Hinata had been given an extra guard to keep a look out for immediate danger. After all, nothing is supposed to deceive the great white eyes of the clan.

Hinata had grown immensely in the shinobi arts in the last five years. She was by no means a master in the juken taijutsu art, that only members of the Hyūga clan can perform. But with her tou-san's and her cousin Neji's help, she had significantly improved her stance and fluidity in the movements. However, she knew that despite her improvements, she wasn't strong enough to protect others or herself in a situation that demanded courage. She had always been the sensitive one in the family. Instead of most of the Hyūga members who had an air of firmness around them, Hinata had always been soft and gentle. And it was because of her kind and gentle nature that she could never bring out the rigidity that was essential in juken when striking an opponent.

Seeing the slightly absent look on Hinata's face, Usagi tapped Hinata on her left shoulder gently.

"What's wrong, Hinata-sama?" she asked kindly. She had seen how Hinata was treated unfairly by many of the main family members due to her soft nature. She never supported such behavior towards a child but a branch member never had much say in the affairs of the main family.

"I… I don't think I can be a strong shinobi as everyone… expects me to become in the family, Usagi-san." Hinata stuttered a little. After spending a bit of time with the blonde now and then ever since she got to know him, her stuttering had become almost non-existent, but she still did that from time to time when she felt nervous or down about something.

"You are still young Hinata-sama. You have a long road ahead of you. There is no need for you to be thinking of such things yet. I am sure that when the time comes, everyone will recognize you as someone they can depend on." Usagi replied gently. She understood the girl's dilemma. Kunoichi were often seen as weak compared to the men and with Hinata's past, it was understandable why she had such thoughts in her mind.

"You could train with Naruto-sama more often." Ko interjected as he heard the conversation between the two. He, by no means liked the Kyubi jinchuriki much, but he couldn't refute the fact that he had a positive influence on Hinata. Ko had lost several of his brothers and sisters during the Kyubi attack ten years ago and thus held a grudge against Senju heir.

Hinata lowered her head, on hearing that. During the past year, she hadn't spent much time with Naruto due to him always being busy with his training. Ever since he returned to the village after that horrific night, she had noticed a change in him. He was more silent and spaced out a lot during conversations. She knew he tried to cover up his sadness with that happy smile of his, but she had learned to look past that layer. It hurt her a bit to see him not share his sadness with her but she also understood that he needed his own space to cope up with everything that had happened to him. Yet, she still wished that she could do something more him. He has always been there to protect her, to rescue her whenever she was in danger, like a knight to save the princess. Usagi mildly glared at Ko for that remark. They both knew Naruto and Hinata were close friends and it had hurt Hinata to see the blond away most of the time.

A few minutes later, all three of them reached the Konoha Academy. Hinata halted in her step when she saw Naruto standing near the Academy doors and talking to his sister, Shizune. She steeled her resolve momentarily and decided that she would go to the Senju Compound in the evening to spend some time with her favorite blond, whether he liked it or not. Bidding goodbye to Ko and Usagi, Hinata walked towards into the Academy.

* * *

 _ **Mount Myoboku, Home of the Toads**_

Jiraiya impatiently waited in front of the Great Toad Sage, along with Fukasaku and Shima. He was casually sitting on a tree in a neighboring town of Konoha, looking at the wonderful specimens of women at the bathhouse for his next novel when he was abruptly summoned by Fukasaku, stating that the Great Toad Sage wished to speak with him.

He would have had no qualms with that if he wasn't waiting for the old toad to wake up from his nap. Jiraiya, Fukasaku and Shima had been standing in front of the old Toad for over an hour, simply waiting for the _Old Geezer_ to wake up.

"This is really testing my patience. Someone wake him!" Jiraiya yelled with displeasure. He was a busy man and had a lot of important work to do, like attaining information for his next novel.

"Just calm down, will you Jiraiya-boy? We all are waiting." Fukasaku said with a sigh. Meanwhile, the Great Toad Sage snored deeply while sitting on the large seat which had the kanji for _sage_ written on it. Shima scowled a bit at that and jumped on top of the Great Toad sage and promptly hit him on the face with her stick.

"Wake up, you damn old geezer!" Shima yelled indignantly.

This caused several different reactions from the occupants of the room. Fukasaku, while wide-eyed at his wife's actions outwardly, on the inside, he expected that reaction from her, considering she had an impatient personality. Jiraiya finally sighed in relief when he saw the old Toad sage's eyes open instantly upon being smacked on the face.

The Great Toad Sage looked around the room upon being woken up from his sleep rather lazily but stopped when his gaze landed on the Toad Sannin.

"Ah… Jiraiya. You're here. What took you so long?" asked the old toad. Jiraiya developed a tick mark on hearing that and almost felt like giving the old toad a piece of his mind, but he held his tongue.

"What did you wish to discuss, Great Lord Elder?" Jiraiya asked politely. Despite being rather uncharacteristic at times, the Great Toad Sage was a being of great knowledge and an exceptional user of senjutsu who had lived for thousands of years.

"It's about…" started the Omaga Sennin (Great Toad Sage), but closed his eyes and fell asleep almost instantly. Jiraiya and Fukasaku sweat dropped at the rather strange behavior of one so wise while Shima was about to smack him again. But before she could, the old Toad woke up again suddenly.

"It's about… the Child of Prophecy." He said with a deep voice. Jiraiya's face became serious upon hearing that. Even though he fooled around most of the time and gave off the impression of an odd man, everyone came to respect the battle-hardened shinobi when he became serious.

"In one year, it will be time for the child of prophecy to become one with nature. You, who has become a sage, shall teach the boy about the chakra that flows in the world and be the one to guide him along the right path." Said the Omaga Sennin wisely. One of the Great Toad Sage's ability is to glance into the future, but to a limited extent.

Jiraiya, Fukasaku and even Shima were slightly surprised at what they heard. Senjutsu required one to have extreme patience and was a very difficult art to learn. Jiraiya himself had not been able to become a true Sennin and required Fukasaku and Shima to assist him in maintaining the Sage mode. Even Minato, who mastered the arts of senjutsu and become a true sage, which was noted by the orange pigmentation around the eyes, took time to enter the enhanced state and couldn't maintain it for long. Due to Minato's style of fighting, which revolved around speed and fast reflexes, he did not normally use the enhanced state. Jiraiya had thought about teaching Naruto senjutsu, but he didn't think the blond would be ready for another few years.

"Are you sure Great Lord Elder? He would still be far too young to be delving into such intricacies." Jiraiya said doubtfully with Fukasaku and Shima having the same thoughts in their mind.

"He will be facing a great enemy in the future. He will need to be as prepared as soon as he can. Even apart from that, the boy was born to be one with nature. His skill with nature chakra will be unparalleled in the times to come." Said the Great Toad Sage nostalgically. He still remembered the first time he had brought his friend to the Land of Toads and was surprised that a human could feel the nature chakra flowing in the world without any prior training. He was certain the boy would attain skills in senjutsu that would one day rival his old friend's.

"Hai, Great Lord Elder. I will start training him in senjutsu when the time comes." Jiraiya replied with a polite bow. He was surprised as to how much faith the Omaga Sennin had in Naruto. He wondered, was it faith? Or did the old Toad really know something about the past that made him come to such conclusions? Fukasaku, Shima and Jiraiya soon left the chambers as the Great Toad Sage went back to sleep once more.

Jiraiya, along with his two masters who helped him in learning senjutsu, were now standing near a special portal that linked Mount Myoboku to Konohagakure no Sato. This was known as the Distant Body Water or Enshinsui. The portal allowed the smaller toads to quickly travel between two places without the use of the summoning technique. Combined with a toad that can perform the summoning jutsu, the toads can be summoned to aid Konoha in the event a living Toad summoner isn't in Konoha at the time, summon people to Mount Myoboku from Konoha or send them back to said village.

"I will speak to the gaki about senjutsu training and have him sign the Toad contract soon then. I will bring him here once he signs the contract, Fukasaku-sensei, Shima-sensei." Jiraiya said.

"Yes, Jiraiya-boy. It's been a while since I have seen Minato-boy's son." Fukasaku replied as he remembered last seeing Naruto the day he was born. Jiraiya stepped into the portal and Fukasaku performed the necessary hand seals and a couple seconds later, Jiraiya disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Now, help me find some good food! We need to prepare for Naruto-chan's arrival!" Shima said and Fukasaku sighed on hearing that. His wife always went on rambling about that she had to make food and complained how he didn't help her enough. Straightening his aging back, he followed his wife to the garden. Why is it that the males always had to listen to the females, no matter what?

* * *

 _ **Konoha Academy**_

It was around eleven thirty in the morning and Iruka was standing beside the podium, flipping through the pages of his book to look for the topic to discuss in the last thirty minutes of today's last class. He could hear the students bicker endlessly in the background and it annoyed him that none of them paid any heed to him standing before them. He closed his book with a loud thud and cleared his throat by using chakra to amplify his voice. He was satisfied that most of the students who were talking earlier were now paying attention to him.

Keeping his book on the podium, he walked to middle of the class and looked around the classroom with a smile. Almost every one of the students had improved in one way or another in the past two years. Be it weapons throwing, taijutsu, using chakra or even the history of the shinobi world, which was rather an important part for any shinobi to know. He frowned internally when he looked at a few girls who came to academy only to daydream about a couple of boys and a few boys who were mainly jealous that most girls paid attention to the select group of boys and did not take their shinobi training much seriously. Yet, he had hope that once they became shinobi, the reality of the situation would force them to change their mindset. After all, that was what a teacher should do- believe in all the students, despite their progress rate.

Getting out of his thoughts, he looked at the students again, already having decided what to discuss about today.

"We completed two years of academy a couple of weeks ago and everyone has learnt something useful that will help them advance themselves in their shinobi career. So, by now everyone should have an idea of what they want to achieve in the future. Today, we are going to discuss about your dreams for the future." Iruka said.

Many of the students, mostly from civilian backgrounds, looked amongst themselves with slightly confused expressions on their faces. The civilian students who come to the academy to become shinobi are normally made to believe that they would have a lavish lifestyle once they became a shinobi of the village and would get paid a lot of money, which in turn would help their family. Hence, they never really thought about what they _themselves_ want to do.

Naruto, who was sitting in the last bench, had a thoughtful look on his face on hearing the topic for discussion. Before joining the academy, he wished to become Hokage so that he could gain the village's appreciation and become accepted as part of the village. He wished to protect his village, because he could sense how much Konoha meant to all the people. Back then, he didn't know why people hated him, but now that he knew the reason, he understood that it wasn't him they hated, rather the beings of chakra sealed inside of him. However, after going through everything he went through in the last two years, he had gained several doubts in his mind. He often found himself wondering if people would accept him as the Hokage if he ever became one. If people would ever respect him, if they would ever see him as one of their own. Despite his wariness, he still wished to protect Konoha. He wished to protect the place where he was born. He wished to protect the place his parents were born and the place his great grandfather fought his entire life to create. Glancing towards Hinata, who was sitting beside him, he was amazed at how hard she was pondering over the matter with her eyes closed. He had noticed she was awfully quiet today. It made him wonder if she was okay. She was one of the closest people in his life and he never wanted to see her upset.

Iruka started off from the right row, where most the civilian students sat and found the answers to be somewhat uninteresting. While most of the boys wanted to become great shinobi so they could live a better lifestyle or get a good girl, most of the girls wanted to marry either Sasuke Uchiha or Naruto Senju. Turning his head towards the Nara heir, he wasn't surprised to find him almost dozing off.

Choji, who was munching on his potato chips which he always brought to class, saw Iruka's mildly intense stare at his friend.

"Shika, Iruka-sensei's looking at you…" Choji said in a hushed voice as he nudged the lazy Nara a little. Shikamaru, finally having noticed his sensei giving him the look, willed himself to stand up despite every cell in his body telling him to lie down and just rest.

"I don't want much in life Iruka-sensei. I just want to get promoted to a chunin, meet someone nice and settle down. Anything more is too much of a drag." Shikamaru said with yet another yawn. Those who knew the Nara well, snickered, already having expected something akin to that response. Even Iruka sweat dropped and briefly wondered if the boy found anything in life to not be a drag. However, he was aware that underneath Shikamaru's lazy attitude, lay a mind of a great tactician who would one day help Konoha win great victories. _If only he knew._

When Choji's and Shino's turn came, none were surprised to hear that both wanted to become the type of shinobi who brought pride and honor to their clan's name. Even though Choji was not among the best students in the class, Iruka admired the plump boy's admiration and his dedication towards his friends. He knew he would go on to become a shinobi on whom others could rely on without a shadow of doubt. Being from the Aburame Clan, many students found Shino to be strange because of him housing bugs inside his body and thus avoided him on occasions. Initially Iruka was slightly worried about the bug user, but later, when he saw Naruto interacting with Shino and involving him with his friends, it eased his mind to know that Naruto understood Shino.

"Iruka-sensei? When's my turn going to come!?" asked Kiba smugly. He had always been the impatient one among the group of children. Not even a second later, the young Inuzuka was smacked on the head by Sakura and Ino, who were sitting on either side of him on a bench just behind the supposed last loyal Uchiha.

"Wait for you turn Kiba! If anyone, Sasuke-kun's turn should come next!" yelled Sakura. Everyone in the class was surprised when Ino did not join Sakura in her usual rambling about her precious Sasuke. Once again Iruka sighed, seeing that behavior. Even though he had spoken to Sakura on several occasions about her fan girl attitude, she hadn't changed one bit. Although, he was glad that he could see a bit of calmness in Ino's behavior. Turning his gaze at the young Inuzuka, the scar faced chunin chuckled lightly on seeing the boy's enthusiasm. While most students had changed in one way or another, Kiba's cheerful and over confident attitude had yet to take a positive or negative peak on the graph.

"Alright. Tell us about your dream, Kiba." Iruka asked calmly. After rubbing his sore head for several minutes, which earned a laugh from several students and a bark from Akamaru, Kiba stood up on his place and confidently pointed his thumb at himself.

"I want to become the greatest Hunter ninja the Elemental Nations has ever seen! And once I accomplish that, maybe I will even try for the Hokage position!" Kiba said with a big cocky smile which showed his pronounced canine teeth to everyone. The entire class, including Iruka, became silent for a moment, but a few seconds later majority of the class burst out into laughter over the Inuzuka's proclamation. Kiba hung his head low with a comical look on his face on seeing the reaction he got, but smirked at everyone nonetheless. He wouldn't give up just because some people thought it was impossible. Naruto had to admit, Kiba had courage and was brave enough not to get down easily. But even Naruto knew that for Kiba to make his statement a reality with his current mindset, a miracle would have to take place.

Soon enough, Iruka calmed the class down and turned towards the pinkette and the platinum blond haired girl.

"How about you Sakura? Ino? What are your dreams for the future?" Iruka asked eagerly. Despite Sakura showing behavior considered to be uncharacteristic of an aspiring shinobi along with Ino at times, he always saw something in those girls. While Sakura had exemplary chakra control as per what he had seen, Ino had the will to continue forging ahead and help her friends along the way. Right now, both girls may be immature and inexperienced, but when they do grow up, he believed they would be among the top kunoichi Konohagakure no Sato would produce.

Sakura felt a bit nervous when she saw that everyone in the class was staring at her awaiting her response. She looked at Sasuke from the corner of her eyes and became a little upset when she found him to be simply staring out of the window beside his seat. However, she scrunched up enough will to speak her mind.

"I... I really like Sasuke-kun and wish to be with him someday!" Sakura said shyly in a low voice. While Iruka only saw a young girl's childish desire, Naruto could feel the sincerity in her voice. He kept quiet though. Ino, however, lowered her head a bit and stared at the ground. Even her father had spoken to her about how she never took being a kunoichi seriously and would never manage to amount to anything if she continued to go on the way she was going. It had hurt her a little at that point, but a few weeks later, she realized her mistake when she was sorely defeated in the weekly taijutsu spar between students.

"I want to become a strong kunoichi, Iruka-sensei. I want to show everyone that even kunoichi can be as strong as boys." Ino said with a faint conviction present in her voice. Iruka was slightly startled by that answer, but smiled nonetheless.

'Looks like she's growing.' Iruka thought. Before he could move onto Hinata, Naruto and Sasuke however, the bell rang, letting everyone know that the academy was over for today.

"Alright class, we'll continue this some other class. Class is dismissed for today." Iruka stated and immediately all the students started swarming out of the classroom. As Naruto walked down the stairs along with Hinata, he saw Sasuke pick his backpack and walk out the room without giving a single glance. He sighed, seeing his best friend's demeanor. It had been like that ever since the day Naruto saw the strange design in Sasuke's sharingan. During the academy, both knew that the other was close by, but both acted as if they didn't notice the other. He didn't know what it was, but he could sense that his friend's chakra felt a lot colder than earlier. It felt dark. He understood that Sasuke had a deep hatred inside of him due to Itachi's actions. But even after everything he had heard about Itachi from everyone else, he couldn't come to believe that the kind boy he once knew would slaughter his entire clan just to measure his strength.

As Naruto and Hinata quietly made their way outside the academy, Naruto was mildly surprised to see his jiji waiting there for him instead of Shizune nee-chan or his Kaa-chan. There were times when he walked home alone too, depending on whether his nee-chan or Kaa-chan were busy or not. Before he walked up to him however, Naruto stopped and turned towards Hinata.

"Hinata-chan, is something wrong? You have been really quiet today." Naruto asked, unsure. Hinata poked her index fingers somewhat nervously about being questioned so suddenly. She had just planned to go see Naruto in the Senju Compound in the early evening when she knew he mostly trained but hadn't planned on being questioned like that. Thus, her nervousness.

Usagi, who was waiting to accompany Hinata back to the Hyūga Compound, giggled a little on seeing Hinata's nervousness because she just knew why the Hyūga heiress acted that way around the blond. It also made her smile, seeing how innocent their relationship was. None of them knew just how special they were to each other and that is what made it even more exciting in Usagi's opinion. They had countless number of possibilities before themselves which they could chose to give birth to a more intricate relationship between themselves.

"It's nothing Naruto-kun! I will see you later!" Hinata said in a rushed manner before she ran to Usagi upon seeing her. Holding the elder Hyūga's hand, both Hinata and Usagi started to make their way towards their home. Meanwhile, Naruto merely stood there for a few more seconds as he watched her run. Ever since he came back to the village, Naruto knew he hadn't spent that much time with many of his friends, especially her. He just wished that he could get his mind straight. Turning around, he too walked towards the person who was waiting from him.

"Jiji! What brings you here?" Naruto asked with a goofy smile. Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was like a grandfather to Naruto, was one of the special people with whom he shared his smile more often.

"Can't an old man come visit his grandson, Naruto-kun?" Sarutobi asked with a chuckle. Naruto rubbed the back of his head and had a sheepish smile on his face upon hearing that. The two soon walked out of the Academy grounds and made their way towards the Senju Compound. Naruto was just glad that the Sandaime made some time for him occasionally. With being the Hokage, he wondered how much responsibility he had to carry on his shoulders. He subtly glanced towards the Hokage Monument- the Shodai, the Nidaime, the Sandaime and the Yondaime. Each one of them dedicated their souls for Konoha and carried the burden on their shoulders.

* * *

 _ **Evening, Senju Compound**_

Naruto sat beneath a tree in the gardens of the Senju Compound with a look of pure concentration along with mild irritation on his face. It had been a couple of hours since he came outside and began learning how to create a Rasengan. Upon opening the blue scroll which was given to him by Jiraiya, he found a brief theory on the jutsu, step by step instructions on how to perform it, along with another containment seal at the bottom. Inside the containment seal, Naruto found several balloons filled with water as well as hard rubber balls.

The theory behind the Rasengan was something which Naruto understood after reading it a couple of times. The Rasengan, which was created by the Yondaime Hokage, was fundamentally based on a bijuu's ultimate attack- **Bijuudama** , which surprised him greatly. It's primarily a spinning ball of chakra that is formed and held in the palm of the user's hand. The Rasengan requires one to have precise chakra control and the jutsu is said to be the highest form of shape transformation. Among the main advantages of the Rasengan is that it does not require any hand seals to perform and the destructive power behind the jutsu can be altered as per the user's will. Once it is formed, it also does not require any additional chakra to sustain it, which means there is no definite limit to how long the Rasengan can be used. Though the Rasengan's shape is consistent from user to user, its size varies from barely large enough to be noticeable to much larger than the user's hand. With greater experience on performing the Rasengan, comes a larger size.

What irritated Naruto were the vague instructions written on how to perform the technique.

 **Step 1:** Burst the water balloon completely with chakra alone.

 **Step 2:** Now, as performed in Step 1, burst the rubber ball completely with chakra alone.

 **Step 3:** Combine what you have learned in Step 1 and Step 2, and apply it to the third step. Keep the intended shape of the balloon. If it is popped or otherwise moves, you haven't mastered the Rasengan.

He was certain that Jiraiya had done this on purpose, so that he could figure out the jutsu on his own. So here he was, trying to burst the water balloon with his chakra alone for the past two hours. He was happy that Jiraiya thought he could figure the jutsu out, but at the same time, it was somewhat annoying. The damn balloon only popped in four or five places. It never burst out completely. Sighing tiredly, he threw yet another balloon away from him harshly, which burst upon contacting the ground.

Looking up at the sky, he could see the reddish sun of the evening sky as well as the faint glow of the moon. It reminded him of Sasuke and himself for some reason.

 _While the Sanskrit name for Sun can be translated as steadiness, firmness and strength of purpose. The Moon is said to be fickle and changeable. The Sun rises day after day, regardless of weather conditions, the behavior of humanity or the placement of the planets in the sky. It traverses it's set path, always giving light and heat and asking nothing for itself in return. The Moon is said to rule the senses and emotions. Emotions change and fluctuate as our thoughts and attitudes change. In short, the Moon looks outward from itself and finds inspiration and comfort with others._

Ridding his mind of Sasuke for the time being, Naruto picked up another water balloon with his left hand and began rotating the water inside the balloon with his chakra in one direction. He was aware his body naturally spun his chakra from right to left, so he didn't have a problem in maintaining the fluidity of the chakra flow inside the balloon. However, once again he sighed when he noticed only three or four pops on the balloon.

"Naru-chan?" Naruto heard his mother call out to him. Looking towards the patio where he believed he heard his mother's voice from, he was surprised to see Hinata standing along with his mother. It had been a little over four months since both had trained together. Naruto kept himself busy in his own training, which normally consisted of getting a better grasp of Futon, Suiton, Raiton and Doton chakra manipulation, fuinjutsu or improving his Mokuton abilities. So with everything he had been doing, the thought of calling Hinata over or going to her house never crossed his mind during those times.

"Hinata-chan. Are you here to train with me?" Naruto asked a bit timidly. Tsunade pushed Hinata a little towards her son and went inside the house so the kids could talk amongst themselves. She was aware at how the two had grown slightly distant in the past few months and it saddened her a little. However, she was optimistic that the two would be back to normal soon enough. It made her laugh a little as to how oblivious her son was to Hinata's feelings. She doubted Hinata herself knew of them.

"Hai, Naruto-kun." Hinata replied. Looking behind the blond, she was confused as to what he was doing with several water balloons on the ground. When Naruto saw her look at the balloons behind him, he laughed a bit, seeing her confused face. He found it adorable.

"Why are there so many balloons, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked, perplexed.

"I'm learning a new jutsu, Hinata-chan. It's going to be totally awesome!" Naruto replied enthusiastically. But hung his head down not even a second later, thinking about how slow he was progressing.

"Do you need some help? I can help if you would like." Hinata asked gently. As Naruto nodded his head, both walked towards the tree Naruto sat under earlier. Upon showing the scroll to Hinata and explaining her what he was trying to master for a good twenty minutes, the Hyūga heiress was awestruck on hearing it. She was amazed that Naruto was learning one of the Yondaime Hokage's prized jutsu. She had heard great tales about the deceased Hokage from several of her clansmen and from many people within the village.

"So, where are you having problems?" Hinata asked.

"It's better if I show you." Naruto replied. Once again, he took a water balloon in his left hand and spun the water inside with his chakra in one direction. The result was the same as the previous times- only three to four pops in the balloon.

"So, you see what happens. I am supposed to make the balloon burst completely. But all I get is a few pops here and there. It's been really annoying me." Naruto said frustratingly. Hinata giggled, seeing Naruto's face and found her cheeks to be slightly redder than usual. Calming her blush down, she asked Naruto to do what he was doing again. This time however, she wanted to see it with her Byakugan.

Making the seal of confrontation, Hinata made her chakra flow to her eyes and activated her clan's doujutsu, indicated by the bulging veins around her eyes. So, when Naruto made the water inside the balloon spin with his chakra, Hinata noticed that the chakra peaked in certain areas inside the balloon and caused the balloon to burst open in those small areas only.

"Did you notice anything, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"Your chakra is making the water burst through the balloon in only certain areas. I think you need to make your chakra do that all over the surface of the balloon from the inside." Hinata replied, somewhat unsure of herself.

Folding his hands over his chest, Naruto gained a thoughtful look on his face. He understood that spinning the water inside the balloon in only one direction made it pop in only a few places. That made him wonder, what if he made his chakra spin the water in different directions. Logically, if spinning in one direction would give a certain number of holes in the balloon, different directions would increase the number of holes in the balloon and eventually cause it to burst completely.

Hinata was startled when one second Naruto was standing and thinking and the next second he was a few centimeters away from her face.

"You're the best Hinata-chan!" Naruto exclaimed happily. Hinata's cheeks became bright red on that remark and she felt as if she was about to faint at their proximity, but willed herself to stay up in front of the blond. It would be too embarrassing for her.

Taking another balloon in his hand, Naruto concentrated to make his make his chakra spin the water inside the balloon in different directions at once. A smile came on his face when the balloon popped in more than twenty different places this time. Doing the same thing repeatedly for the next half an hour, Naruto smiled widely when he was finally able to make the water balloon burst completely, splashing the water on Hinata and him a little.

"I did it!" Naruto yelled in joy. Hinata too had a smile on her face, glad that she could help her friend in learning something that was important to him. The blond then tiredly sat down on the ground as the hours of exhaustion caught up to him. Despite Naruto's chakra having immense healing prowess, he too got tired after going over a single matter for hours.

"You're already tired Naruto-kun? I thought we were going to train?" Hinata asked with a small smirk. She knew Naruto was genuinely tired, but the blonde always did say he had endless amounts of stamina. Also, a little playfulness never hurt anybody.

"Huh?! Who said I'm tired?" Naruto shot back, slightly embarrassed.

* * *

 _ **Four Days later**_

"So, let's see if you really mastered the jutsu or not." Jiraiya said, looking over at the blonde.

In the past few days, he had noticed the long hours Naruto spent in the back gardens of the Senju Compound after the academy to master the jutsu. But he hadn't approached him even once. He wanted to see if the blond could figure out the key details of learning the Rasengan on his own and proceed from there on. That was the main reason he hadn't given a detailed explanation of the steps involved in forming the rasengan.

"Just watch, Jiraiya-sensei." Naruto said calmly. Extending his right arm, Naruto concentrated his chakra in his palm. Slowly, violet chakra began swirling in the shape of a ball and started to grow larger until it was the size of a soccer ball. The violet chakra then became much denser and the power behind the jutsu was clearly felt, if the slight gust of wind around Naruto was any indication. Finally, the swirling ball of chakra calmed down and formed a perfect sphere.

"See, I did it Jiraiya-sensei!" Naruto said proudly. After he had completed the first step of the jutsu with Hinata's help, every evening for the next few days, Naruto spent with Hinata and trained with her. The following step after bursting the water balloon was completed comfortably by Naruto, which was to burst a rubber ball. Already knowing the key fact behind bursting a balloon, Naruto understood to burst a rubber ball which had a harder shell compared to a balloon, he would need more power and denser chakra. And in blonde's case, his chakra was naturally much denser compared to normal shinobi. The third step, however, took slightly longer for Naruto to complete, where he had to contain the rotation and the power of his chakra in a shell. But, with hours of practice, dedication and Hinata's help, he had mastered the third step and was finally able to make a perfect Rasengan in his hand.

Jiraiya looked at his godson with pride evident in his eyes. He knew Naruto wasn't a natural born genius. He was the kind of person who worked on something until they got it right. And he was proud of that attitude which Naruto possessed. The blonde did indeed work hard, extremely hard, to get to the point where he is. There are times he did feel sad to see a young boy possessing such battle prowess. Due to the certain circumstances in his life, Naruto would always have to be prudent and strong enough to fend off those who come after his life.

"That's good Naruto. Now, let's see how it fares against my Rasengan." Jiraiya said with a smirk. A second later, a Rasengan was formed in the Toad Sannin's left hand, roughly the same size as that of Naruto's.

The master and student stood opposite to each other with a look of complete seriousness on their faces. They both were currently standing in a forested area, a couple hundred meters behind the Yondaime's face on the Hokage Monument. Apparently, Naruto found it fitting that he showed Jiraiya the Rasengan at a place where he could feel closer to the Yondaime Hokage. With an unsaid call to start the battle of the strength between the two Rasengan, both ran at each other with impeccable speed.

" **Rasengan** " yelled both and the violet ball of chakra met the blue colored ball of chakra in an impressive show of power. A large gust of wind blew past in the area when the two jutsu collided. Both Rasengan seemed to be almost equal in strength when suddenly both Jiraiya and Naruto were pushed back in the somewhat large explosion that took place, covering the area in a blanket of smoke.

Naruto promptly got up from the ground and went through a few hand seals.

" **Futon: Daitoppa** " said the blond as he blew a powerful wind from his mouth to clear the smoke away from the area. He saw Jiraiya sitting on the ground a few meters away and walked up to him.

"Are you okay, Jiraiya-sensei?" Naruto asked.

"You're still too young to injure the great Toad Sage Jiraiya, kid." Jiraiya joked as he got up from the ground. Dusting his clothing of the minor dust that was there, he ruffled Naruto's hair with a genuine smile on his face.

"That was great, Naruto. Looks like you got it down."

"Arigato, oji-chan." Naruto replied gratefully.

"Do you want to go sit on top of Yondaime's head and watch the sunset?" Jiraiya asked. He was aware that was Naruto's favorite spot within the whole village and couldn't help but see the irony in it- the son finding comfort with his father.

After a few minutes' walk, Jiraiya and Naruto sat atop the Yondaime Hokage's head at the edge. The village from up here looked so scenic. It was truly majestic. The green shade of the trees, the white, red and brown shades of the buildings, the reddish and orange hue of the sky- all of it came alive together in the eyes of two sitting there.

"Oji-chan...?" Naruto asked slowly.

"What is it Naruto?" Jiraiya felt the hesitance in Naruto's mind and wondered what made him feel that way suddenly.

"Will you tell me about your friend, Orochimaru?"

* * *

 **So, that's a wrap for this chapter. Now, that I will be free more often, I believe I can post the next chapter by May 31, 2017 or June 2, 2017.**

 **Up until now, I have made Naruto to focus mainly on his taijutus, elemental manipulation of his chakra affinities (not learning various jutsu. Advancing his control over elemental chakra) and fuinjutsu. Next chapter will have a one year time skip from where on Jiraiya will start teaching Naruto about senjutsu. Here, Naruto will have time to learn the concepts of senjutsu properly. So from then on his main focus will be senjutsu, medical ninjutsu and learning the mere basic cocnepts of Hiraishin no Jutsu.**

 **I won't be showing too much of a progress plot wise next chapter, that will take place from chapter 15 onwards, as I said earlier. Next chapter, I would like to cover up some of the points in the story which I believe I haven't given enough details about- such as how Sai's and Nartuo's relationship progressed after they first met, how and why Sai felt like helping Naruto in the first place even. What Sasuke normally does when he's alone in the Uchiha Compound along with a few scenes between Naruto and his friends.**

 **Well, this was my first story which I had posted and the idea of Naruto having two bijuus sealed inside of him seemed like a god idea to me at that time. Also, I don't really want to abandon the story or hand it over to someone else. Some of you like how the story is progressing and some of you may not like. That's alright. I appreciate the constructive reviews which I get and thanks to everyone for taking time to read this!**

 **Do follow, favorite and review if you come to like my work.**

 **Until next time!**


	14. Chapter 14

_**Advent of Mokuzai**_

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Belief and Hope**

* * *

"Orochimaru… huh?" Jiraiya asked in a low whisper, with a bit of surprise. He certainly wasn't expecting the blond to ask about _him_. There was a moment of silence and Naruto saw the toad sannin stare at the sky with a saddened gaze. A sudden gust of wind passed by them which made Naruto cover his face for a few seconds. Looking back at his godfather, he felt a little down for asking the question.

"Why do you wish to know about him, Naruto?" Jiraiya finally asked firmly, looking towards the blonde. Once again, Naruto stammered, wondering if he must tell him the reasons for his curiosity about Orochimaru.

"I just want to know why he turned out the way he is. During the time, that I was… with him, he always spoke about uncovering the secrets of chakra, learning all the jutsus there are, and he seemed particularly immersed in the idea of immortality. He did not speak much to me, but when he did, he always spoke about how different my chakra is compared to all the ninjas he has encountered over the years and that he wanted to uncover the secrets of my body. It was like, he thought about nothing else other than those things. I know, Kaa-chan, you and he were teammates earlier and fought for Konoha during the Second Shinobi War. But, I just can't understand why, a shinobi like him would abandon his home, the very foundation of 'Will of Fire' and become so detached and inhuman." Naruto replied honestly. Till now, he had never spoken about what he had gone through or how he felt during that time with anyone other than Sai. But, he also knew there was no one who knew or understood Orochimaru better than his godfather. Despite being a traitor to his home and abandoning everything he had been taught to believe in, Naruto had noticed that Orochimaru considered his mother and oji-chan in high regards because of the power they possessed.

Jiraiya sighed as he heard Naruto's words. He never did like talking about his relationship with the snake sannin. During their genin days, Jiraiya would always chase after him, trying to be as 'cool' as him and in trying to do so, he had found an unlikely friend in him. However, the person who Orochimaru had turned into later was obsessed with the secrets of ninjutsu and chakra and would go to any measures to see his goals accomplished. Even after knowing him for so many years, he never really could figure out, what his fellow Sannin really yearned for. He had his guesses, but he was never certain when it came to Orochimaru.

Unnoticed by Naruto, Jiraiya smiled slightly as he realized Naruto was willing to talk a little about his feelings during that time. Though he did not like the subject at hand, he would indulge the blonde a bit.

"Orochimaru was always a quiet one during our time at the academy and even then, not many people talked to him or hung out with him. He was the smartest person in the class. Be it ninjutsu, taijutsu or academics, he was always the top student in the class. Even at that young age, he thought as an experienced shinobi. I think it was because of his high intellect that he couldn't talk to children our age back then. But despite all that, he was never cruel or ruthless. He was blunt about the things he thought and believed in, but he never showed off. He was the type of ninja that I always aspired to be back then." Jiraiya said with a nostalgic look on his face. Looking at Naruto's face, Jiraiya understood his train of thoughts.

"Hard to believe huh?" Jiraiya questioned. Naruto merely nodded, not knowing what to answer. Sitting cross legged and keeping both his hands behind himself for support, he once again looked at the dimming sky, as if looking for answers himself. He never really thought about his genin days or rather his troubling past with Orochimaru nowadays. To him, it seemed like a lifetime ago.

"It was just after the First Shinobi War, that Orochimaru's parent had died on a mission. There was still a lot of tension going on between the great five villages. It hadn't been long since the villages were formed and the clans from different lands still festered their hatred against those from Konoha. Shinobis from different villages were extremely hostile against each other. No one knew the details of his parent's death, but since then he began to change. It wasn't much for people to notice, especially for those who didn't know him well. But, I could tell. He began questioning things, that no one of our age should have. Despite all of that, he was still loyal to the village and he behaved the same way with Tsunade and I. As the years went on, we fought many battles together for the sake of Konoha and he never showed any signs of ever betraying. He was Sarutobi-sensei's favorite student…" Jiraiya stated with a dry chuckle.

"So, Sandaime jiji was hurt the most by his actions, ne?" Naruto questioned. He was intrigued by the stories Jiraiya was telling. It was certainly hard for him to believe that Orochimaru was anything but a cold-blooded person. Yet, from what he had heard so far, he was beginning to understand- maybe a little, of the Snake Sannin's past.

"That is right." Jiraiya replied grimly. He was appalled when he learnt that Orochimaru had betrayed the village and run off, so, he couldn't even begin to understand what his sensei was going through at that time. Both, Jiraiya and Naruto became quiet as they stared down at the village which was still hustling with people. By now, the sun had already set, and the moon shone brightly over the village. From a non-shinobi's perspective, the village truly symbolized the epitome of beauty and peace.

"Oji-chan, do you know what Orochimaru did to betray the village?" Naruto asked, albeit a little sadly. From the continued silence, he had understood that this was a sore matter for him. But, he still wished to know more about the man. He hated the man for he did to him in the past, but he still wished to know the circumstances which led him to become what he is. Ever since he started training in the shinobi arts, he understood that pain, tragedy and hatred were a constant figure in a shinobi's life.

Hearing that question, Jiraiya's face gained a serious look. He glanced towards the blonde for a few seconds without uttering a single word. He didn't know what Orochimaru had done with Naruto during that time, he was sure it wasn't anything good to talk about. But, Naruto was asking an awful lot of questions about his former teammate. Discarding the doubt from his mind, he smiled slightly. He was certain, Naruto would never do anything to endanger the village.

"Naruto, there are some answers which should never surface to the top, for the sake of others. If the circumstances that led to Orochimaru betraying the village became public knowledge, it would bring chaos among the villagers of Konohagakure no Sato. Most of the jounin and even several of the high-ranking officials are not aware of the circumstances which led to him fleeing." Jiraiya said authoritatively.

Seeing Naruto's face, he raised his hand, to stop him from saying anything further. Naruto's eyes widened a little upon seeing Jiraiya's face. So, he obliged and kept quiet.

'I didn't think oji-chan would get angry if I had asked about him…' thought Naruto as he lowered his head.

"Yes, I am aware why he left, but I don't think you are ready for it hear yet." Jiraiya stated firmly.

Understanding what his oji-chan was saying, Naruto didn't ask any further questions. He realized it must be a village secret, which he was not at liberty to give away. Lying down on the ground, he closed his eyes to clear his head a little. He felt at peace, as the slight breeze hit his face, giving him a tingling sensation in his body.

"Answer me something, Naruto." Jiraiya asked with his eyes focused on the ocean of stars in the night sky.

"What is it, oji-chan?" Naruto asked casually.

"Are we humans because we gaze at the stars or do we gaze at the stars because we are humans?" Naruto raised an eye brow at the question but didn't say anything. He simply laid his eyes out at the stars and pondered about it. His young mind could not really process the answer precisely as it could be seen from the thoughtful look on his face. Both sat quietly for more than ten minutes, before Jiraiya eventually got up.

"Let's get back home, Naruto. Your mother must be wondering where you are. It has become quite late." Jiraiya said with a slight shudder. Tsunade was a little too protective of her son.

"Hai, Hai oji-chan!" Naruto replied as he giggled lightly.

* * *

 _ **Two Days later**_

It was late in the morning and Naruto lay comfortably in his bed under the warmth of his blanket. As he slowly opened his eyes, he immediately put his hand above his face to block the sunlight from hitting his eyes. As a few seconds passed by, he sat up on the bed with a somewhat tried look. He yawned lazily and stretched his hands. He could still feel the soreness from last evening's taijutsu practice which he had with his mother. He knew his mother was among the finest shinobi in the Elemental Nations when it came to taijutsu, but he didn't think she would be so hard on him.

'Damn… most my body is still sore from the beating I took. I really do need to focus more on my physical strength.' Thought Naruto as he released a tired sigh. It was true indeed. The past few years, Naruto had devoted most of his time, learning and understanding various ninjutsu, advancing his fuinjutsu skills and improving his control over Mokuton, that he did not focus much on his taijutsu. He was aware that he possessed incredibly large reserves of chakra, but he was reminded yesterday that having large amounts of chakra would not help him if he was forced into a fight where he had to rely solely on his taijutsu.

He sighed once again as he remembered what his mother and oji-chan had told him about yesterday. Even though, he was burdened with the task of keeping Konoha safe by keeping the two tailed beasts at bay, over the years he had come to see the Kyubi and Sanbi more than just beasts made of chakra who cared only for destruction. He would hate it, if the two bijuus were forcefully taken from him. He couldn't really express it in words, but he had formed a certain bond with them.

 _Flashback_

 _Naruto, Tsunade and Jiraiya sat in the training grounds of the Senju Compound. It was located to the west of the main house of the compound where the current Senju family now resided. Tsunade had left Shizune in charge of the hospital while she had come to train Naruto. She had decided that she was not going to force him into learning a particular style of taijutsu, rather make him adapt according to his own strength. It had been a good five years since he started training in the arts of shinobi and she was astounded by his improvement in ninjutsu, fuinjutsu and even medical ninjutsu. It had been a tiring work to make Naruto to learn to heal himself. Even though she knew the bijuus inside of him would always heal him of injuries he might receive, it was always considered beneficial for a ninja to know a little amount of medical ninjutsu in case of emergencies._

 _Despite having trained Naruto in taijutsu and overlooking his physical exercises, since he was five, she had never pushed him too hard. In the past five years, even Jiraiya had only helped Naruto in ninjutsu, helping him learn the concepts of each jutsus and how to use one depending on the situation. While none of them could use Mokuton, she was glad her grandfather had left a few notes about his kekkei genkai in the Senju Clan library, which proved to be extremely helpful for her son._

 _But, now that his body had gotten used to all the physical exercises and general taijutsu katas she made him go through as well as the ninjutsu and fuinjutsu he had learned over the years, she wanted to take it up a notch. She knew her son was an extremely capable shinobi even according to some jounin, but knowing the threat he would facing in the future, she had to make sure his strength would be up to par with those of his enemies. The thought of losing her son, made her tremble with fear and worry. She had already lost most of the people she cared about and even though she was not Naruto's biological mother, she had come to view him as her own flesh and blood. Looking towards her favorite blond, she was certain Naruto would become a shinobi who would become more renowned than the Shodai Hokage. She chuckled lightly knowing her only reasoning for such thoughts was, 'a mother's intuition'._

" _Naruto, now listen to me carefully, okay?" Tsunade said seriously._

" _Hai, kaa-chan." Replied Naruto, giving his full attention to his mother. He didn't know what his mother and Jiraiya wished to talk about, but looking at the seriousness on their faces, he gulped a little._

" _The physical exercises along with the chakra control exercises that you have been doing over the years have made your body stronger, faster and adept at handling rough physical exercises. That is the foundation for any shinobi who wants to grow their strength. The past few years you have learnt the concepts and practical usage of various ninjutsu and your knowledge in fuinjutsu has increased dramatically. However, now I believe it's time for you to reflect on what you have learned over the years and master everything to the point that you don't feel any strain on your body or chakra when performing shinobi techniques." Tsunade explained briefly._

" _What do you mean, Kaa-chan? I already have good knowledge of everything I have learned over the years." Naruto replied with a confused face._

" _Learning a jutsu and mastering a jutsu are two different things, Naruto. Some jutsus require more than several hand seals to be used when you learn it in the beginning, but if you can master the jutsu completely, you can perform it with either one or no hand seals at all. The_ _ **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_ _normally requires two hand seals to perform the jutsu, but if you get more familiarized with the technique, it's possible to perform it with one or no hand seals too. Also, the better you are at performing a jutsu, the better you will become at controlling the amount of chakra used by the jutsu." Jiraiya stated in detail as he got up from the ground and dusted himself off. Tsunade nodded, agreeing with her fellow Sannin._

 _Naruto folded his arms over his chest and closed his eyes, assimilating what he had heard. He understood what his mother and oji-chan were trying to stay in general and he too nodded his head absently. While he had four natural affinities, which was a great aspect for him as a shinobi, he hadn't trained any of his affinity to his full extent. Ever since he had discovered his ability to use Mokuton naturally, he devoted most of his time to get a good grasp of his kekkei genkai._

" _Hai, I understand kaa-chan, Jiraiya oji-chan." Naruto said firmly._

" _That's good, because from now on, your training is only going to get much harder and you won't have time to complain." Tsunade replied with a sickly smile as she cracked her knuckles. Jiraiya and Naruto both paled a little on seeing the expression on Tsunade's face. It was one which assured intense pain in every bone of the body. However, Naruto also felt a little excited upon imagining the different training exercises he will go through._

" _Hime, it's time. We should tell him now about it now." Jiraiya muttered upon getting closer to Tsunade who was still dreaming about the wonderful training regimen she would have Naruto follow._

" _Huh? Oh, right." Tsunade replied. Her mood suddenly changed as she remembered that Jiraiya and her had agreed to tell Naruto about the group that would be after him._

 _Tsunade gently called out to Naruto, who once again gave his entire attention to her._

" _Now, listen to what Jiraiya has to say okay? Don't interrupt him in between. It's an important matter, which you should hear directly from us." Tsunade said warmly as she placed her hand on Naruto's shoulder gently. Naruto noticed the hint of sadness in her voice but did not say anything. Turning towards the Toad Sannin, he now had a serious look on his face._

" _This group goes by the name of Akatsuki. They are a mercenary group consisting entirely of missing ninjas from different villages and all of them are rumored to be at least S-Rank or higher. Until a few years ago, they performed all sorts of missions ranging from guarding to assassinating someone. But, a while ago I received word from one of contacts that they will be hunting down the bijuus that are scattered across the Elemental Nations." Jiraiya explained calmly._

 _Naruto remained silent as his mind processed what Jiraiya had told now. However, as realization dawned on him as to what Jiraiya meant, he felt a cold shiver run through his spine._

" _Collecting bijuus…? Wouldn't that mean they are also after the jinchu…" Naruto mumbled softly with lowered gaze. Jiraiya placed his hand Naruto's arms to garner his attention. Upon feeling the contact, Naruto looked up at Jiraiya with a tinge of fear evident in his blue eyes._

" _Yes, that is true Naruto. You and the other jinchurikis are not safe. But, you don't have to worry yet. It will be some time before they come after you. The reason you need to get stronger is, so you can defend yourself against powerful enemies. Your mother and I will protect you when the time comes, but we won't always be close to you. You are already powerful shinobi. With more years of training and experience, I'm certain you will be among the most powerful shinobi ever." Jiraiya spoke with admiration._

" _How can you… be so sure of me oji-chan?" Naruto asked, unsure of himself._

" _You must believe in yourself Naruto. So long as you believe in yourself and have hope, there is nothing that can escape the grasp of your hands." Jiraiya stated wisely with a small smile. Seeing the look on his mother's and oji-chan's face, Naruto felt an extremely strong emotion bubbling inside of himself. At this point, Tsunade noticed how the trees and flowers in the Senju Compound looked so fresh, colorful, just like the time when her grandfather was alive. In fact, the entirety of Konoha was blanketed by such a calm feeling, that almost everyone could feel it unconsciously._

 _Flashback End_

"Naruto! Come down for breakfast!" Naruto heard his mother call from downstairs. Realizing what day today is, he smiled widely and jumped from his bed to the ground. He had been waiting for this day for a long time now. Moving closer to his windows, he opened the curtains, and the entire room was immediately bathed in the warm sunlight. Seeing the lush green field from his room and hearing the birds chirping in the morning, always made him smile and feel at peace.

Getting to the bathroom, he quickly brushed his teeth and took a shower to fresh himself up. As he stepped outside the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist, his widened dramatically upon seeing who was standing in his room.

Hinata's cheeks began turning bright red as her eyes studied Naruto standing only with a towel wrapped around him. She could clearly see the results of Naruto's physical training over the years. Even at his young age, he had well-defined chest and abs in the making which might put some of the grown men to shame. Her innocent white eyes roamed around his upper body and muscular arms and as her gaze lowered below slowly, her cheeks turned the brightest shade of red. Before she or Naruto could utter anything, she fainted promptly and fell on the ground with a blissful look on her face.

Naruto simply stood in his place with a dumbfounded expression on his face. Though it had been only a few seconds, to him it felt like an eternity when he realized she was staring at him.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto yelled as his mind registered the fact that Hinata had fainted.

Both Tsunade and Shizune ran upstairs on hearing Naruto's voice. Worried that something may have happened to Naruto and Hinata, both ran quickly. Soon as they reached Naruto's room, Tsunade hurriedly opened the door only to come across a situation that would remain etched in her mind for a long time.

"Kaa-chan, Shizune nee-chan! She wouldn't wake up. She suddenly fainted. Is she okay?" Naruto cried out with confusion written across his face. One moment he saw Hinata staring at him and the next second he knew, she fainted and fell.

"It's a good thing Jiraiya isn't here to see this..." Tsunade said, laughing at the current predicament and how oblivious her son was as to why Hinata had fainted. She playfully slapped Shizune at the back, who too amused at the situation.

"Shizune, take Hinata downstairs and give her some water." Tsunade asked her student eventually. She really hoped Jiraiya did not pop out of anywhere. She was certain her perverted friend would have tried to indulge her son in the idiotic stories he wrote. Meanwhile, Naruto simply sat beside his friend with a perplexed look on his face as his mother and older sister laughed as if nothing had happened.

"Hai, Tsunade-sama". Shizune replied heartily, as she finally calmed down a little. She then proceeded to gently pick up the girl and walked out to the living room. Once Shizune was gone, Tsunade walked towards Naruto and knelt beside him.

"She's okay Naruto. You shouldn't worry about her. Shizune will look after her, okay?" Tsunade said in a motherly tone.

"Why did she faint suddenly, Kaa-chan? Is she sick?" Naruto asked yet again, uncertain about what was going on.

"No, no. She's fine. I told you not worry about it Naru. Now, get ready and come down okay?" Tsunade stated getting up. Naruto dumbly nodded, not really understanding what happened in the past few minutes. Just as Naruto turned around to get his clothes, he felt his mother hug him amiably from behind.

"Happy Birthday, Naru-chan…" she whispered tenderly. Her eyes moistened a little upon remembering the little baby she had held for the first time, eleven years ago.

* * *

 _ **Author Notes- It's been a very long time since I updated this story and I truly apologize for the long wait. I would have updated it sooner, but I got side tracked with other things. But, I will finish all the stories that I have started as of yet. I will try keeping the updates more frequent from now.**_

 _ **The next chapter will also be quite small. Chapter 15 will also feature a time skip of two years which will show Naruto and his classmates graduating the academy. Then, once the missions start, I will give Sasuke a little more focus and his relation with Naruto. As I had shown earlier that Zetsu made contact with Sasuke, the choice of how or from whom he gains power, will be soon presented to him. Now, I wont be following the missions exactly as in went in the anime or manga, but it will be similar in most aspects.**_

 ** _Do follow, favorite and review the story if you come to like work!_**

 ** _Until next time!_**


	15. Chapter 15

_**Advent of Mokuzai**_

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Graduation Exam**

* * *

 _ **Two Years Later, Konohagakure no Sato**_

Laying down on the bed with his narrowed eyes glued to the ceiling, the ghastly images of his parents lying dead in their bedroom could not drift away from his young mind. Nor could the words that his older brother had said to him on that night. Despite all the hatred that he felt, there was a hint of sadness in those black eyes. The early morning sun rays that logged through the closed curtains of the room formed a fiery shadow upon the walls. As the minutes gradually ticked on, he breathed out calmly and finally got up from the bed in one motion. Today was the day he would take a step closer towards his destined fate.

The past two years had been exceedingly productive for him and he was relatively satisfied with how much his strength had augmented. But, even with the strength he now possessed, it was nowhere near his older brother's or _his_ for that matter. It irked him, how those two always walked in front of him. Frankly, he did not know what to feel about his blonde friend anymore. He was aware that to fulfil his goal, he will need to enter the darkness but so long as he had ties with Naruto, it wouldn't be so easy. After all, Naruto was still the closest friend he had. He hated having such mixed emotions. It made him feel weak. Walking closer to the windows, he pulled the curtains apart and the awaiting sunlight immediately bathed the room in it's warm glow.

"It's almost time now…" whispered Sasuke, looking over the area beside his house, where he had trained himself every day. Glancing towards the clock again, he quickly disappeared into the restroom, to freshen up. It wouldn't do him any good to be unnecessarily late for the graduation exam. Shortly after that and upon having some breakfast downstairs, Sasuke left the house and began his walk towards the Konoha Ninja Academy.

As he walked through the empty streets of the Uchiha Compound, he reminisced about his younger days. The street used to be filled with civilians and shinobi busy with their work, children running around and playing. Passing by a grocery store, he remembered the old lady who always treated him kindly. But, all of that had changed in one night. Slightly irritated that those memories were resurfacing again, he took to the rooftops and began jumping on top of them to reach his destination faster. There was no point in reminiscing about the past. It held no meaning for him. He had chosen his path years ago and there was nothing that could make him sway.

* * *

 _ **Fifteen Minutes later, Konoha Academy**_

The clock showed about twenty minutes until 7:30 in the morning and the classroom was already buzzing with soon to be genin. The day for the Academy graduation exam had finally come. While most of the students who belonged to the major clans of Konoha were relatively relaxed, the others were slightly more nervous or skeptical on the prospect of becoming a shinobi. Death was an integral part of the shinobi world and one could never say when they might perish in the line of duty. To their young mind, it was a terrifying prospect, of course.

Naruto was quietly sitting beside Hinata in the last row of the middle benches with his eyes closed and arms folded over his chest. Over the course of the past two years, the blond had matured greatly, both in shinobi skills and intellect. Despite having his childish tendencies, he had become calmer. Ever since his godfather had introduced him to senjutsu, he felt more at peace with himself and the surrounding. It had been almost a year since he began learning the sage arts or _senjutsu_ and over that time, he had assimilated the concept of nature chakra rather well according to his two sensei- Jiraiya and Fukasaku-sama. Even apart from senjutsu, Naruto had gone through rigorous training under his mother as well as Jiraiya in ninjutsu, taijutsu and genjutsu. And his control over Mokuton had only increased ever since he became one with nature. It had astounded even Naruto with the things he could achieve when he was in sage mode. He hadn't mastered his ability to utilize senjutsu to its full extent, but he had learnt to balance the nature chakra with his own spiritual and physical energy.

About five minutes later, when Sasuke entered the class, Naruto's blue eyes momentarily glanced at Sasuke and was met with the black ones of his friend. But soon enough, the blond closed his eyes, again. The feeling of sheer darkness and hatred Naruto often felt from his friend, unnerved him at times. He didn't know what transpired between Sasuke and Itachi or what the younger Uchiha saw that night, but it had changed Sasuke dramatically. He didn't really show it, but he still considered Sasuke his friend. The two hadn't talked much lately, but they had an unspoken understanding between them. At least, that's what he believed.

Hinata noticed the subtle interaction between the two and sighed. It had been like this for the past two years. Whenever she tried talking to Naruto about Sasuke, he always avoided her questions by changing the subject. However, she never pushed him hard, knowing it was a delicate matter for him. She was just glad that over the years her friendship with the blond had only grown. Most of the class was jerked off their thoughts when they heard Sakura's and several other girl's childish scream when their eyes landed on the raven haired Uchiha. But as usual, no one ever said a word. It was rather bothersome for majority of them to listen to Sakura's rant when one said something against her beloved Sasuke.

Soon as the clock showed, 7:30, Iruka Umino and Mizuki promptly entered the classroom with stacks of paper in their hand. Upon keeping those papers on the table, Iruka turned towards the class with a smile on his face while Mizuki stood behind the table. Iruka looked over his class again, a little sad that today would be the last time that he'll be seeing them all together. It was his batch of students and he couldn't have asked for a better one. Iruka was certain everyone was going to pass the exam despite having trouble teaching some of them. He was surprised to see even Shikamaru awake. Perhaps there was hope for the lazy one too. Nonetheless, he was extremely proud of the way everyone had grown in the past four years.

"I hope everyone is prepared for the graduation exam?" Iruka asked. Upon seeing everyone nod, he too moved next to the teacher's table. He then proceeded to call everyone's name from his book, to make sure that all the students were in fact present. Once he was done, he looked up at the class again.

"Now, Mizuki-sensei will be distributing the question papers and each one of you has exactly an hour to finish the exam. After that, we'll proceed with the weapons exam, taijutsu exam and ninjutsu exam. Once everything is over, the results will be announced in the class. Those who'll pass will become a genin of Konohagakure no Sato." Iruka announced loudly, for everyone to hear his words properly. He waited a few seconds and seeing how there were no questions directed to him, he nodded to Mizuki who began distributing the question papers accordingly. Shortly, as he passed by Naruto's seat, he gave a hateful glare to the blond which wasn't missed by the young Senju. Shrugging off his sensei's actions, Naruto simply took the paper from him and began going through the questions. It was no secret to anyone in the academy that Mizuki hated Naruto for being the jinchuriki of the two bijuu who killed his brother twelve years ago. However, he knew he couldn't afford to take any action against the boy as of now. With two of the Sannin within the village, it was certainly a risky maneuver.

After about ten minutes or so, all the students had begun writing while Iruka and Mizuki kept an eye on everyone. It was of no surprise to the scar face chunin when he noticed Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata and Shikamaru had already the test half way through the allowed time. Iruka eyed the Nara heir a little suspiciously, always having the feeling that Shikamaru was much smarter than he showed himself to be. He sighed wondering if Shikamaru would ever grow out of his laziness.

Soon enough, the one hour allotted for the written had come to an end and Iruka looked at all the students firmly and said, "You may all now stop writing. The time is up. Remain seated in your desks while Mizuki sensei will collect the papers. Your answers will then be evaluated by other academy teachers while you all will be partaking in next parts of the graduation exam." Once the papers were collected by Mizuki, the students along with Iruka began moving to the training grounds of the academy for the weapons and taijutsu exam.

* * *

 _Training ground behind the Academy_

"Everyone, here are ten kunai and shuriken each on the table, that you must throw at the target and hit the mark. Each kunai or shuriken aimed correctly at the mark will earn you one point." Iruka explained briefly and began calling out the student's name from his list. Most of the students had managed to score at least fourteen points out of the twenty while a few had scored between eight and twelve. Setting his eyes on the last two students, Iruka smiled widely. Out of all his students, Naruto and Sasuke were the most advanced in the shinobi arts. Even some of the other teachers at the academy were slightly envious that the heir of the Senju and Uchiha Clan were in Iruka's class.

"Sasuke Uchiha." Iruka called out. Suddenly a lot of the girls started to yell encouraging words for Sasuke while some among them even proclaimed their love for the young raven-haired boy. Sasuke simply ignored the shouts and moved towards the table to pick up the kunais and shurikens. Then moving onto the spot from he had to throw from, Sasuke exhaled and let his body relax. Glancing at the target for a second, he flicked his wrist and released the ten kunais simultaneously which ended up hitting the mark. He then proceeded to do the same with the shurikens which yielded him the same result.

"Good job as usual, Sasuke." Iruka congratulated and he noticed that Sasuke had already walked to the back of the group. It had pained him a little to see how drastically Sasuke had changed ever since the demise of the Uchiha Clan. But, he also knew there was only person in the class Sasuke listened to even if remotely as his eyes then fell on Naruto.

"Naruto, you're up now." Iruka called out. Wanting to get done with this part of the exams quickly, Naruto picked up the kunais from the table and skillfully threw them towards mark specified on the target. And with the shurikens too, Naruto managed to hit each of the mark on the target with accurate precision. Looking towards his sensei once, Naruto walked back to the group and was instantly congratulated by Kiba, Shino, Hinata and Shikamaru. Sasuke did not even glance at the blonde Senju and quietly stood at the back. As Iruka noted down all the scores once again, he walked to the center of the field and asked everyone to gather before him for the taijutsu part of the exam.

"Now, I will be calling out two students name each turn. You are to combat the other using only taijutsu. Unlike the taijutsu sessions you have had in the past, in today's test your goal is to either knock out your opponent or make them yield. However, there is a time limit of ten minutes for each spar. Now remember that it does not matter if you lose the match. You will be scored on how well your taijutsu has improved since the beginning of the academy." Iruka stated clearly.

"Hah, we are definitely going to mop the floor with anyone we're matched with!" Kiba declared dauntingly, puffing his chest slightly. His ninken, Akamaru barked in an approving manner further uplifting Kiba's confidence.

"Shut up Kiba. Don't try to act cool in front of everyone!" Sakura yelled indignantly, thinking that the young Inuzuka was trying to put Sasuke down. Her claim was supported by more girls who had similar feelings about the uncaring Uchiha. Kiba looked at the pink haired girl accusingly for a few seconds but backed down when he felt someone's hand on his shoulder. Looking back, he was mildly surprised to see it was Shino who had stopped him.

"It would be illogical to get into petty fights during the graduation exams. You must keep your calm." Shino stated in his usual monotone voice. Although a tad bit irritated that he couldn't give a piece of his mind to Sakura, he knew his friend was right. Upon noticing that most of the class was now staring at him, he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Oops…" whispered Kiba, rather awkwardly. Naruto chuckled on witnessing the whole event. He just wished if the shinobi life would be as easy going as it was now, but again, it was just wishful thinking. A small frown appeared on Iruka's face on noticing that most had yet again begun talking among themselves.

"Everyone quiet down! It's not the time to be discussing such irrelevant matters. You all are soon going to be genin. You shouldn't take the ninja life so lightly. I'm not going to sugarcoat things for you. The life of a shinobi is an extremely hard one, where you constantly must make decisions and take actions for the welfare of the village. We shinobi are the ones who must do the hard tasks, so the innocents may live peacefully. You may not understand the meaning behind those words yet, but someday you will. I just hope you are mentally well prepared to bear the burden." Iruka stated loudly, using chakra to amplify his voice. All the students were slightly taken aback by their sensei's sudden change in demeanor, but none said another word. However, Iruka knew out of all the students Naruto, Sasuke and Shikamaru were probably the only ones who understood the implied meaning of his words. A couple of minutes later, the scar faced chunin started calling out the students' name to come forward and proceeded to begin the third part of the graduation exam.

The first few spars were between the civilian students and it proved to be quite an eye sore. Frankly, the taijutsu displayed was standard enough for academy students, but it was the lack of proper basics katas that made the spars seem less than mediocre. It was a common belief among the civilian families that if their kids managed to become shinobi their lifestyle would enhance. But they completely disregard the dangers that entail with becoming a shinobi. Yet, Iruka had hope that they too would nurture into fine and loyal shinobi of the Leaf. It was after all, a teacher's task to believe in their student, no matter the situation. While it could be said that some of the students performed on an average level merely because of their civilian backgrounds, it wasn't necessarily the truth. The match between Sakura and Ino was a comical sight for everyone. Rather than a taijutsu spar between prospective genin, it looked more like two girls fighting over their romantic interests and finally falling on the ground due to exhaustion. Even Iruka for that matter was speechless. He would certainly need to have a talk with the Hokage regarding a few of the students in his class. It wouldn't bode well for the village or a shinobi if they did not have even the adequate skills to step into the field.

As the time proceeded, all the students were done with their evaluation and the only ones left were Naruto and Sasuke. Upon being called to fight, both stepped forward and began walking to the center of the field.

"Good luck, Naruto-kun." Hinata said softly. Naruto stopped momentarily to look back and gave her a wide smile, which made the Hyuga heiress slightly blush. Even after all these years, she still couldn't help but blush at his vibrant smile. It was as warm and bright as the sun.

"Thanks, Hinata-chan. But, don't worry about me! I will be fine." Naruto reassured his friend, giving her a thumbs up and then walked towards Iruka. He knew she had a habit of getting overly worried at times, but these were the small things that he really liked about her.

Sakura who had watched the brief conversation between Naruto and Hinata felt a little envious of the relationship between those two. Glancing at Sasuke's back, she wondered if she'd ever have that with Sasuke. Lowering her head, she remained quiet as she saw Naruto and Sasuke stand opposite to each other. Despite her dislike of Naruto, she did not outright hate him. Yes, she had called him a horrible thing a few years ago in the past but that was only because she did not know any better. Normally, a child would believe any word that came from their parents. But she did hold a bit of grudge against Naruto for the severe interrogation her parents and she had to go through during that time. She had never been more scared than that day. Although, her behavior soon reverted to a love-struck girl, who began yelling words of encouragement for Sasuke. A few of the students even had to cover their ears because of how loud she was.

"Naruto, Sasuke, are you both ready?" Iruka asked expectantly. Upon seeing both nod their heads, he called a start to the match and jumped back. An eerie silence reigned over the training ground as everyone had their focus on them and the excitement was clearly visible in their eyes.

As a little more than ten seconds passed, Naruto took his time to sense his opponent. He smirked slightly on realizing how much stronger Sasuke had become, all by himself. He doubted if he could do it all alone. Given the somewhat strained relationship between the two, Sasuke and Naruto rarely ever met each other outside of the academy.

"Well, show me Sasuke. Show me how much stronger you have become." Naruto stated with a small smile. It had been quite some time since he fought with his friend. Out of all his academy friends, fighting with Sasuke always made him feel more alive and it was only with him that he could fight giving his all. He wasn't arrogant, just confident in his power. And he was sure, to some extent Sasuke felt the same.

"I don't have anything to prove to you, Naruto." Sasuke replied, his face portraying a calm look. As his fully matured sharingan came into view, he arched forward and rushed towards Naruto at high speed. Upon briefly seeing the sharingan, Naruto too ran towards Sasuke, matching his speed equally. Soon enough, the two clashed with their posterior forearms pushing against each other. A sudden gust of wind blew around the two as they exerted more force, trying to overpower the other. Slight cracks began to develop on the ground below them, as a testament to their power. But, after a few seconds Sasuke loosened his arm and allowed himself to fall backwards, catching the blond off guard. Taking advantage of Naruto's momentary lack of focus, he immediately ducked, and went for a punch to the stomach. Quickly regaining himself, Naruto swatted away his arm and kneed him just below the ribcage. However, soon as Naruto seemed to make a contact with Sasuke, there was a puff of smoke, revealing Naruto's knee breaking a log of wood into several pieces.

Glancing up, Naruto saw the Uchiha descending towards him a kunai in his hand. Taking out his own kunai, the two once again clashed against each other for supremacy and the sound of two kunais striking against each other reverberated through the entire field. This time, instead of applying more force, Sasuke propelled himself off Naruto and back flipped. Soon as he landed on the ground, he took out four more kunais and threw all of them towards Naruto. As Naruto began to deflect all the kunais thrown at him, he saw Sasuke rapidly approach him from the corner of his left eye and realized that the kunais were just a distraction.

'He's incredibly fast!' Naruto thought. Waiting for Sasuke to come closer, Naruto swiftly ducked and went for a leg sweep which the Uchiha avoided by jumping above him. Soon as Naruto got up, he turned around to block a punch from Sasuke who was now standing alarmingly close to him. Retreating his arm, Naruto covered his left fist in chakra and aimed it towards Sasuke's celiac plexus. Already having anticipated the attack with his sharingan, Sasuke proceeded to duck down. But he soon realized his mistake when he noticed the small smirk on Naruto's face. Not having enough time to dodge the next strike, Sasuke was hit roughly on his right shoulder. The strength behind that kick easily made him loose his footing and he was thrown several feet back. Naruto smirked having finally landed a proper hit on Sasuke. However, his smile soon faded when he noticed a relatively unhurt Sasuke walk towards him. The two then proceeded to engage in a relentless taijutsu battle. None of them could gain an advantage over the other or land a decisive hit. Each strike was narrowly avoided by both which show cased their impressive reflexes. To any by standing shinobi, it would appear as if it was fight between seasoned shinobi.

It had been a little over five minutes now and everyone who was watching the two of them spar, had their eyes wide with anticipation. Several of the other academy teachers too had stepped outside their classroom to watch the fight from the first floor. Watching young shinobi with such raw power made them shudder a little upon wondering how strong the two would turn out to be in their prime age.

"Wow! Look at those two go at each other…" Ino stated amazed. She never understood how those two were so much stronger than everyone else. It honestly baffled her at times. Unknown to her, similar thoughts were going through the mind of several other students who simply kept their eyes on the fight.

"Makes me kind of glad that I wasn't up against any of them…" Kiba said with a sigh of relief. It wasn't that he was terrible. Like any clan heir, he too was trained from a young age in his own clan's taijutsu style but the two in front of him were years ahead of him in skills. There were times he seethed with anger on always being bested by the two. But every time he saw them fight, he realized that neither Sasuke nor Naruto used their entire strength when fighting someone other than each other. He was just glad that Naruto did not act like the way Sasuke did. He frankly could not stand the sight of that arrogant Uchiha.

'I need to finish this quickly. We aren't getting anywhere with taijutsu… and I'm not allowed to use ninjutsu. That leaves me with only one option.' Naruto thought calculatedly. Swatting away a right hook, Naruto swiftly jumped over Sasuke and faster than any normal eye could see, he flipped back to kick the Uchiha right on his cheek bone. Blocking the punch with his arm, Sasuke caught Naruto's foot with his other hand and threw him onto the ground with a resounding thud. He wasn't disappointed when he noticed there was a log of wood in Naruto's place.

Looking in front of him, he noticed Naruto slowly walking towards him with a single-handed ram seal. However, before he could make a move, black kanji erupted from his right arm and spread all over his body in a span of couple of seconds. His sharingan quickly spotted the seal that was placed on his arm as he sent a glare towards the blond. He had never taken much interest in fuinjutsu, but he did have a wee bit of knowledge in the art. He tried breaking the seal by unleashing more of his chakra, but his body simply became stiffer and he fell on the ground. Despite not knowing the reason behind Sasuke's current predicament, it was an amusing sight for Kiba, Shikamaru, Choji and Hinata. Ino, Sakura and several other girls shouted profanities at the young Senju for trapping their beloved Sasuke.

"What did you do to me?" Sasuke asked accusingly. Not being able to move any part of his body was certainly an unwelcoming sight for him. And from what he now understood, it was unwise for him to use his chakra too.

"I put a paralysis seal on you during our taijutsu spar. It's a little different than a normal one. The more chakra you use, the stiffer your body becomes, as you can already feel." Naruto replied with a smirk. But, he knew, if it was an actual fight with his friend, it would have been much more drawn out and close. Iruka and the other academy teachers were wide eyed at the scene before them. Never had they seen an academy student use fuinjutsu so flawlessly.

"I suppose the spar has ended with that last maneuver." Iruka called out as he appeared between the two in a shunshin. Naruto then proceeded to remove the seal from Sasuke once Iruka had noted down the scores for Naruto and Sasuke in his list.

"I was sure, I could beat you in a one on one taijutsu battle. But, you were much stronger than I anticipated. That was a great fight Sasuke!" Naruto said with a cheery attitude as Sasuke got up from the ground. Dusting himself off a little, he turned his attention to Naruto.

"We both know we didn't fight each other seriously. But when we do, the results will be much different." Sasuke whispered, so that only Naruto could hear him. With that said, he turned around and walked to the back of the group without saying another word to anyone else. There was no anger or resentment in his voice. To Naruto, it sounded more like a plain fact. He smiled, silently accepting the challenge. Then, he too walked back to stand beside Hinata. Iruka then asked the students to go back to the class and wait for their names to be called for the ninjutsu part of the graduation exam.

* * *

Once all the students were seated in the classroom, Mizuki called out each one's name alphabetically and the student was then taken to another room for the final test. It was the Sandaime Hokage, Iruka and the Academy principal who were to judge the ninjutsu skill of the students. Hiruzen had made it customary for himself to be present during the graduation exam of every student. As a Hokage, it wouldn't do him well if he didn't see what these young kids could do, himself. In the ninjutsu part of the exam, a student had to show mastery over the three basic jutsus- _Bunshin no jutsu_ , _Kawarimi no jutsu_ and _Henge no jutsu_. Due to the peaceful times that were ensued since the end of the Third Shinobi War, the requirements for graduation had only decreased.

It wasn't until two hours later that all the students had completed the exams and Iruka was mildly taken aback by the fact that all his students had passed. But, more than that he was extremely delighted to see all of them become genin and become an official ninja of the Leaf.

"Well, how do you think the teams are going to grouped?" Choji asked randomly, opening another pack of barbecue flavored chips. It was his favorite flavor after all! Sakura and Ino who also heard Choji's words gave him a quizzical look. Before anyone else could reply, Sakura stood up and proudly claimed, "Of course I'm going to be teamed up with Sasuke-kun!" On hearing that several girls began arguing among themselves that they wanted to be paired with the Uchiha. Naruto was even surprised to hear some of the girls wanting to be in the same team with him. He briefly wondered what his mother or Jiraiya oji-chan would do when they learned about the number of girls who were after him.

'No… no… they can never find out about this…' Naruto thought dreadfully. His godfather would certainly have that perverted smile on his face while his mother would lecture him about keeping his innocence. For some reason, he found it odd that his mother never really said anything about Hinata spending so much time with him. Coming out of his thoughts, he couldn't help but laugh lightly at the devotion he saw in Sakura's eyes for Sasuke at times. Despite not having a very friendly relationship with the pink haired girl, he knew she didn't have any deep-rooted hatred for him. Although, he had to sympathize with Sasuke too. Fangirls were quite annoying and stupid at times, not that he would ever mention it out loud.

"I suppose they would team us up based on our abilities in taijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu and our physical prowess. I was told by my father that teams are often divided into attack, defense and tracking units." Shino stated calmly. Like most members of the Aburame Clan, he only spoke what was necessary. Not a word more, or less.

"I just hope I'm teamed with an overall good team. I could not do much in the taijutsu exam but the written and ninjutsu part went fairly well for me…" Kiba also said with his head hung a little low. He had hoped to show everyone how much he had improved but having faced off against Hinata did not do him much good. It was a known fact that among the clans who specialized in taijutsu that a hand to hand combat with a member from Hyuga clan is never a wise choice. Naruto, who was sitting beside the ninken user, placed a comforting hand on Kiba's shoulder.

"You're worrying too much. My kaa-san says our progress throughout our time in the academy is taken under consideration for making the team. While it is important to pass the graduation exam, that alone is not crucial." Naruto replied with a warm smile. Kiba calmed a little having heard that from Naruto. Akamaru too barked, as if agreeing with the young blond Senju.

"Well, whatever the case, I think we should all go out for dinner somewhere tonight. All these exams have made me hungrier." Choji exclaimed throwing away the empty packet of chips. Kiba, Ino and Sakura readily agreed to that and Choji had already begun dreaming of the delicious meat he would get to eat in the evening.

"What do you say, Hinata-chan? Do you think your father will allow?" Naruto asked with a hopeful look on his face.

"I think so… I will ask Kaa-sama will talk to father." Hinata replied, a bit hesitantly. Ever since the kidnapping attempt on her earlier, her father never let her go outside without two or three guards around her. And it would be awkward for her guards were to join her friends for dinner. Naruto understood what she meant by that and became quiet soon after. He looked around the class and saw that everyone was happily chatting with someone or other.

"They're here…" Naruto whispered, low enough for only Hinata to hear. And shortly, the door to the classroom opened and in walked Iruka followed by six more shinobis, who Naruto believed were their jounin sensei. Immediately everyone in the room became quiet as their eyes landed on the new faces in front of them.

"Once again, I'd like to congratulate everyone on graduating from the academy. You lot were my first batch of students and I'm glad to have taught you well. I hope each one you will go on to make our village proud. Now, as you all know, all of you will be divided into team of three members with each team having a jounin sensei to help you grow further. Now, I will be announcing the team members and their jounin sensei in order." Iruka explained and began calling out the team name, the members in it and their jounin sensei.

Seeing as how it would take at least ten to fifteen minutes, Naruto adjusted himself in his seat comfortably and closed his eyes. As a few more minutes passed, Hinata became a little restless as she saw how some people were dissatisfied with the team arrangement. Deep in her heart, she knew that she wanted to be in the same team as Naruto. Despite having become really close to him, she could never bring up enough courage to confess her feelings to him. She giggled upon realizing even if she did tell him, he wouldn't comprehend her clearly. Growing up with him she found it funny how Naruto could be so intellectual in the shinobi arts but when it came to love, he could be utterly confused.

"Naruto-kun? Do you think we'll be in the same team? I mean, you're close to the Sandaime right?" Hinata asked quietly, making Naruto open one his eyes curiously.

"Huh… I didn't expect you to be worried about something like that Hinata-chan. Well, it would certainly be great if we are…" Naruto started, oblivious to her feelings but was soon cut off when he heard his name being called.

"Naruto Senju, Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha will make team 7. Your jounin sensei will be Kakashi Hatake." Iruka called out. Looking to his left, he sighed realizing that Kakashi was once again late.

* * *

 _ **Author Notes- So, Naruto and his friends have finally graduated from the academy and I promise the story is bound to get more interesting from here on forth. I had thought to change team 7 slightly but decided against that. Despite not liking Sakura's personality that much, I do like how her character had developed throughout the series and I hope to do the same with her in this story too.**_

 _ **From the next chapter, the teams will be all going for missions and stepping out of the village as shinobi for the first time. There will be many surprises on the way too.**_

 _ **Do follow, favorite and review the story if you come to like my work!**_

 _ **Until next time!**_


	16. Chapter 16

_**Advent of Mokuzai**_

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Outset of the Shinobi life**

* * *

Over two hours had passed since the teams were announced and the newly formed team seven was still waiting for their sensei to arrive. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura were all seated on the same bench on the far-left side of the class, near the windows. While Sasuke quietly sat with a relatively calm look on his face, even he was beginning to get a little irritated with the tardiness of their appointed jounin sensei. However, it was Sakura's constant attempt to talk to him that was thinning his patience further. He glanced to his right to see that Naruto still had his eyes closed and had not uttered a single word since the room became empty.

'Hn... only a loser like him can fall asleep at a time like this.' Thought Sasuke inwardly, a little amused by Naruto's antics. It was always just like him to have a light mind. Yet, Sasuke knew better.

"When is he going to come?" whined Sakura, for the umpteenth time. "We have been waiting here for hours. Every other team's sensei came and took off with their teams. Is our sensei even a jounin for real?"

Sasuke was about to tell the girl to shut up, when Naruto voiced his thoughts. "Our sensei is one of the strongest jounins of Konohagakure, Sakura. He's known throughout the shinobi world as the man who copied over a thousand jutsus and goes by the moniker of _Sharingan no Kakashi_."

Both Sakura and Sasuke were shocked on hearing that title, more so Sasuke. He had his eyes slightly wide in disbelief on learning that their sensei had the sharingan.

"What do you mean, Naruto? Our sensei is an Uchiha? But, I thought everyone other than Sasuke-kun was…" Sakura said but stopped mid-way.

"No, he's not an Uchiha. From what I know, he got the sharingan from one of his teammates at the end of the Third Shinobi war. He has one sharingan, which he keeps hidden under his forehead protector." Naruto clarified. Sasuke grew more interested on hearing that news. He became a little excited on the prospect of testing his own eyes against Kakashi's. He was also curious about how well a non-Uchiha could utilize the full extent of the sharingan's abilities.

"How do you know all of this, Naruto? We haven't even met our sensei till now. Even if he's as strong as you say, don't you think he should be more punctual?" Sakura questioned in confusion. Opening his eyes, Naruto turned towards the pink haired girl and momentarily stared at her and shook his head. He assumed Sakura would have figured it out by now, given how smart she tends to be at times.

"Jiraiya-sensei told me. Kakashi Hatake was a student of the Yondaime Hokage, who was taught by Jiraiya oji-chan." Told Naruto casually. The other two were further surprised on hearing that. Sakura was in shock on learning that she would be taught by someone so accomplished. However, most of her mind was still hung up on the fact about how much time she would get to spend with her Sasuke.

"Wow, that sounds so cool!" exclaimed Sakura. It was at this point that the doors to the classroom opened and in walked a tall shinobi with spiky silver hair oriented to his left side and a facemask which covered a good portion of his face. However, it was the typically relaxed and heavy-lidded expression on his face that caught the attention of Sakura and Sasuke. Having met the shinobi earlier on many occasions, Naruto was used to the bored expression planted on Kakashi's face. Even so, it still amused him greatly that the man could appear to be so bored. It suddenly made him wonder that Kakashi could give Shikamaru a run for his money when it came to be being bored.

"What took you so long to come sensei!?" Sakura yelled immediately, forgetting all sense of awe she was feeling a moment ago.

"Ah, you see, I met an old lady on the way here and lost track of time while helping her with groceries." Kakashi replied nonchalantly. Sakura became quiet on hearing the reason and nodded in approval of her sensei's actions. He kaa-chan always told her to be respectful towards the elders. Naruto had to control himself from out right laughing as he could sense Kakashi's bluff while Sasuke merely shook his head at the girl's stupidity.

"Anyway, I think we should reconvene at the roof and start off with team introduction from there on." Kakashi stated and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Sakura was surprised to see that their sensei simply disappeared like that, but she was further surprised when even Sasuke simply faded out of view.

'Wow, Sasuke-kun is so cool!' she thought to herself. The next second, Naruto and Sakura got up from the bench and took the more traditional route and made their way to the roof via the stairs. Even though Naruto could use the shunshin no jutsu, he did not feel the need to use it at this moment. Unlike Sasuke, he considered himself to be more patient. It was ironic considering how Sasuke considered himself to be the more patient one.

* * *

A few minutes later, once Naruto and Sakura had reached the roof, Kakashi was leaning on the railings whilst reading a small book and Sasuke sat on the stairs with his elbows on his knee. Sakura promptly rushed and took her place to Sasuke's left and Naruto sat a further away to his right.

"Alright, since everyone is here, let us start with the team introduction. I want each one of you to introduce yourself." Kakashi said, not taking his eyes off the book he was reading.

"Uhm, sensei, what should we say?" Sakura asked, a little shyly.

"Well, why not I start off first and then one of you can follow my lead." Kakashi said with an eye smile and shut his book to look at his students. "Hmm… my name is Kakashi Hatake. I have a lot of hobbies and do have a dream sort of. And I am a jounin of Konoha." All three of the genin gained stupid looks on their face on hearing that introduction.

'He didn't really say anything about himself…' thought both Naruto and Sakura. "Why don't you start Naruto?" Kakashi asked.

"My name is Naruto Senju and my dream is to surpass all the previous Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato! I like to train in the shinobi arts and my favorite part is ninjutsu. I also love studying fuinjutsu and my favorite hobby is gardening, and I love eating ramen!" exclaimed Naruto with enthusiasm. Kakashi then pointed towards Sakura, whose face began to blush slightly.

"My name is Sakura Haruno. I uhm…" she glanced towards Sasuke. "like, I mean who I like is…" she squealed a little as she turned away from the Uchiha. "my dream is to…" Yet again she glanced at Sasuke and squealed with a blush creeping up her face.

"I suppose it's your turn now, Sasuke." Kakashi said with a sigh, not noticed by others.

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha. What I have is not a dream, but an ambition and something which I'll make sure will become a reality in the future. I want kill a certain man and restore the power the Uchiha Clan once held in the village." Stated Sasuke with a serious face. Both Kakashi and Naruto narrowed their eyes slightly on hearing that. Sasuke and he rarely spoke to each these past few years and despite knowing how he felt about his brother, he could never really comprehend Sasuke's pain completely since he never lost anyone close to him. While he too had felt extremely saddened by the Uchiha Clan's unfortunate demise, he believed Itachi had a reason for his actions. But, over the years he had felt Sasuke's chakra had grown darker and it often gave him a shrill. Sakura simply stared at Sasuke with stars in her eyes. The fact that Sasuke was so mysterious and his different personality than the other boys always appealed to her. He was a mystery that she wanted to solve with all her heart.

'His hatred towards Itachi has only grown, as the reports say. I will have to keep a special eye on him to make sure he doesn't do anything to put himself on a wrong path.' Kakashi thought with caution.

"Well, that's all good to hear. Now that we are done with the introduction, let's get to the good part, shall we?" Kakashi said as he kept his book in his back pouch.

"Are we going to go on a mission, sensei?" Sakura asked cheerfully. She really couldn't wait to go on missions with her team and show Sasuke how good her shinobi skills were.

"Missions? Nah. You guys need to pass a test first to be approved as a team ready for missions." Kakashi revealed. This time all the three genins gained surprised looks on their faces.

"What test sensei? Didn't we already pass the graduation test and become genin?" asked Naruto perplexedly. Sasuke and Sakura too had similar thoughts running through their mind.

"Well, that is true. But, that test is just to see if you guys have the necessary knowledge and basic skills to become a shinobi. Every team will have this test which I am going to conduct. It's to see if you guys can function as shinobi in the real world. The shinobi academy doesn't give a student much exposure to the world outside of the village. That is the jounin sensei's task to check." Kakashi explained.

"What happens if we fail the test, sensei?" Sakura asked, a little fearful. While she was good with books and genjutsu, she got average marks in taijutsu and shurikenjutsu back in the academy.

"Well, if a team fails the test, they will be sent back to the academy. This test conducted by the jounin sensei is mainly to weed out the weak students. Only nine students can pass this test in general." Kakashi stated. He was surprised by the lack of reaction from Naruto and Sasuke. He assumed they either knew the general idea behind the test or were confident in their own abilities.

'Not like individual abilities is going to help them in this test anyway…' thought the masked ninja. Sakura became a little tensed on hearing her sensei's words. She really wished to be a shinobi, mainly because she wanted to spend more time with Sasuke and show her love how good she was. But on hearing the seriousness behind Kakashi's words, it troubled her mind if she was in fact up to the challenge.

"Don't worry Sakura. It's going to be fine…" she heard Naruto's words. Looking at his kind smile, she eased up a little but still worried about her abilities as a ninja.

"Let's meet at training ground 7 in fifteen minutes and we'll see if you guys can work as a team. I will explain the details of the test over there." Kakashi said and once again disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Once Kakashi had gone, Sasuke simply got up from his spot and used shunshin to make his way towards the training ground. He had absolute faith in his abilities as a ninja. He had chosen his path in life and there would be nothing that could stop him from getting his revenge. Becoming a shinobi for Konoha was merely a stepping stone for him. Naruto sighed as he sensed Sasuke's turbulent feelings. He couldn't blame him, but even after all this while he wished Sasuke opened to him more regarding his feelings. He still viewed the Uchiha as his brother.

"Well, lets go Sakura. We wouldn't want to be late for the test, yeah?" Naruto asked rhetorically. Sakura was a bit slumped too on seeing Sasuke's behavior. She always tried her hardest to make herself look good in front of Sasuke, but he never took notice of her and that really hurt her. She thought once she became a shinobi, maybe then he'd notice her but now even that was looking like a slim reality.

"Don't give up hope so easily, Sakura. He's a hard person to understand. Just give him some time." Naruto said to her with a vibrant smile as they made their way out of the academy. Sakura merely nodded but kept quiet rest of the way to the training ground. She did not really know what to say to the blond. Given how she had once treated him, she was still a little embarrassed about it. Yet, she did not really understand that whole ordeal. She had only reacted how her parents had asked her to. But over the years as she had seen him, he was nothing like how her parents had described him to be. It's true at one point she had outright detested Naruto for how her parents treated by those masked wearing shinobi years ago. But her parents had explained to her that it was primarily their fault. She was just glad that Naruto never lashed out at her for being mean. Maybe, things would improve once she got to know him a little better.

* * *

 _Training Ground Seven_

After nine or ten minutes of walk, Naruto and Sakura had finally reached training ground seven. Like the other training grounds in the village, this one had a vast clearing that was surrounded by trees on three of the sides, while there was a small pond on the northwest corner of the ground.

"Ah, you guys made it here finally." Kakashi greeted as he walked towards them. Naruto looked around for Sasuke and found him leisurely sitting under the shade of the tree. Looking up he realized it was quite sunny today. Soon enough, Sasuke also joined them and the three genins were now quietly standing before Kakashi, waiting for further instruction.

"Okay, your test is to..." Kakashi started as he took out two bells from his pouch. "take these bells from me. Whoever gets a bell, passes the test and can become a genin thereby allowed to go on missions for the village." He stated calmly. As expected, it was Sakura who voiced her concerns regarding the test before anyone else.

"But sensei, there are only two bells. How can all three of us pass if only two of us can get a bell each?" Sakura stated in confusion. She was beginning to get a bad feeling about this test for some reason. While Sasuke had no qualms with the rules, Naruto momentarily thought about the overall aspect of this test. If only two of them were supposed to pass, that would make team 7 a three-man squad. And he had never heard of a newly graduated team which only had two genins and one jounin sensei. He cursed Jiraiya for talking to him in riddles when he had asked the Sannin regarding the graduation exam and what comes after it.

' _A shinobi is one who carves out his own path by analyzing the situation thoroughly and with the help of others around him.'_ That was what Jiraiya had quoted to him a few weeks prior to the graduation exam. It irked him to not know what exactly his perverted sensei was talking about at that point. He turned to Sasuke to ask him something but was surprised with the slight smirk the Uchiha had on his face.

"Well, you catch on quick, Sakura. You see, the village doesn't want weak shinobi to represent itself against other villages. When out in the field, you'll have to think analytically and every belief you have will be tested in numerous ways. You must be prepared mentally as well as physically to be working as a shinobi for Konoha. Although, there has been relative peace among the great five nations, you can never be too certain as to when the next war may break. In the shinobi world, the line between peace and war is an extremely fickle one. So, this test is mainly to weed out those who aren't capable to handle the pressure out in the field." The three were surprised to hear the hardness in Kakashi's voice. They realized the person before them wasn't speaking as a jounin sensei but as an experienced shinobi of the village. The very next second, his face relaxed a lot more as he said, "Now, go on. It's almost ten right now. And you have until noon to get the bells from me. Also, a word of warning. If you really want to get the bells, come at me with the intention to kill."

Naruto and Sasuke promptly scattered and went towards the tree to come up with an effective plan to acquire the bells. Sakura remained rooted to her place as her sensei's words had hit her quite harshly. She was about to follow Sasuke to ask him for help, but she couldn't will herself to do it for some reason. She saw Kakashi eyeing her expectantly and then she too ran towards the trees.

'Hmm… they don't seem to have figured it out already. It'll be sad if I'll have to fail a team with such untapped potential.' Kakashi thought as he waited in his place for the genins to apprehend him.

To Kakashi's east, Sasuke stood on the branch of a relatively tall tree from where he had a good view of Kakashi. From the moment he had heard about their sensei having a sharingan, he was itching to test his strength against him. Back when he used to train with Itachi, he was aware Itachi had never used his full strength against him. But, things were different now. He had grown much stronger than those days. Ever since that night, he trained everyday until exhaustion with only one goal in his mind. He would kill Itachi no matter what.

Activating his sharingan, he took out three kunais and expertly threw them towards the unsuspecting jounin, all them aimed for a vital spot. However, he was surprised when Kakashi just side stepped all three of them without even a glance. Jumping towards the jounin, he took out shurikens this time and hurled towards Kakashi from a much closer distance. Yet again, Kakashi simply deflected all the shurikens with his own kunai swiftly. As Sasuke now stood before the jounin, he seethed a little as their sensei was yet to take his eyes off his book.

"Pay attention to the fight, dammit." Sasuke stated. His words however, seemed to fall on deaf ears as he got no reply.

"You say something?" Kakashi replied casually as he continued reading his book. Deciding to make him take things seriously, Sasuke rushed towards the jounin with an impressive speed. Kakashi however, was completely aware of his surroundings. Initially, he was surprised to notice the fully matured sharingan in Sasuke and was impressed with his shurikenjutsu too. As Sasuke closed the distance between them, he went for a punch to his sensei's left arm which Kakashi swatted away. But, he cringed ever so slightly as he felt the strength behind that hit. He was given no time think as he had to jump back immediately as Sasuke came at him with a kick to his knee. However, having predicted Kakashi's next moves, Sasuke swiftly caught Kakashi by his left ankle and pulled him down with all his strength. Surprised by the move, Kakashi hit the ground with a thud. Sasuke immediately jumped back and smirked, but it soon faded away when he noticed a log of wood instead of Kakashi.

'Whew, that was close. So, he seems to be well experienced in using the sharingan. I suppose I'll have to take him a little seriously. I wonder what the other two are doing.' Kakashi thought amused.

"Well, Sasuke. You have gotten my attention. Your speed, movements and your ability with the sharingan is certainly impressive, I must say." Kakashi stated out loud as he came out of the woods.

"You'll have to take this seriously. I'm not your average genin." Sasuke replied smugly. Kakashi certainly agreed to that and kept his book back in his pouch. He then rushed towards Sasuke with high speed. Sasuke was momentarily shocked by speed but kept his calm. He could still follow Kakashi's movements with his sharingan. As soon as Kakashi came close to him, the two engaged in a heated taijutsu battle. While Kakashi wasn't putting all his efforts into battling, he was pleasantly surprised that Sasuke was able to match him in speed and strength to some extent. However, after a few minutes of exchanging blows he could see that the Uchiha was beginning to tire out.

As Kakashi aimed a punch to Sasuke's abdomen, Sasuke quickly did a back flip, avoiding the punch by just a graze.

" **Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu** " Sasuke called out after performing the required hand seals and spewed a large ball of fire from his mouth which then proceeded towards Kakashi at an alarming speed. Not one to do outdone by a mere genin, Kakashi stood his ground and performed his own hand seals to counter the katon jutsu.

" **Suiton: Mizurappa** " Kakashi said and shot a strong jet of water from his mouth which clashed against the ball of fire. The two jutsus fought for dominance for a few seconds but ended up cancelling each other out. The clearing was now covered in thick mist because of the two jutsu colliding. Using the mist as a cover, Sasuke immediately performed the shunshin no jutsu and was now standing less than an arm's length from Kakashi. He promptly went for the bell and almost touched it, when he felt someone catch his legs. Looking down, he was surprised to see it was an arm and the next second, he was dragged into the ground with only his head sticking out.

As the mist cleared, he glared at the jounin who stood before him with an amused smile on his face. "That was a good fight Sasuke. You almost got the bells too. I must say your battle strength is much stronger than that of a genin. I suppose I must go look for the others now." Kakashi said the last part out loud. He already knew where the others were. While he was able to find out Sakura easily, finding Naruto was quite the hard part. He just shuddered imagining Naruto's strength if Sasuke himself was thing strong.

"Let me out, this instant!" yelled Sasuke. He was humiliated at being done like this.

"Hm…" Kakashi hummed as he got into a thinking pose for a second. "I think not." He then stated with an eye smile. Sasuke stared at him stupidly, but he gave it no thought. He would get out it one way or another.

From the sidelines, both Naruto and Sakura had spectated the entire fight. Naruto was extremely impressed by the fact that Sasuke was able to hold his own for that long against someone like Kakashi. He could tell that Kakashi barely put any effort into the fight, but he was sure even Sasuke didn't fight to his full extent. It was after all common for a shinobi to not reveal all his cards. While he was watching the two fight, he was certain even he would be hard pressed to defeat Kakashi all on his own. If only he could convince Sasuke and Sakura to work with him. Suddenly his eyes widened as a realization struck him.

'That's what he meant! Konoha has never had a three-man genin squad and it never will. Kakashi-sensei wants to see if we are willing to work together as a team for the good of the village.' Naruto thought. He was amazed at the simplicity of the test but also slightly embarrassed that he couldn't figure it out earlier. Now that he thought about it, their sensei did state that he wanted to check if we could work as a team. Remembering that made him feel further stupid. On the other hand, Sakura had an amazed look on her face on seeing Sasuke's strength. She was amazed that at his age, Sasuke could be so strong and in her delusional world, she believed it was a close match and if not for Kakashi's last move, her love would have certainly gotten the bells.

However, she suddenly found her surroundings changing, as she now saw Sasuke lying dead on the ground with large wholes in his chest and blood flowing out of his body. She let out a loud and terrifying scream and fell unconscious on seeing the image of her loved one dead.

'Oh wow… What did she even see to be so scared…' Kakashi thought standing behind with a slightly confused look on his face. 'Well, there's only one person left now. I sure want to see how strong he has gotten.' Kakashi was about to move towards Naruto when he felt the large build up chakra. As he turned towards the source, his eyes widened in disbelief when he saw Sasuke's entire body covered in thin raiton chakra. Moreover, he had also managed to free himself and was now standing on two feet albeit slightly panting.

'He has already mastered two chakra manipulation at his age?' thought a startled Kakashi.

'Th… that took more chakra than I anticipated…' thought Sasuke as he took deep breaths. He didn't even move a muscle when he noticed Naruto appear beside him, seemingly out of nowhere.

"You sure don't make things easy Sasuke." Commented Naruto, as he kept his eyes in Kakashi's direction. He knew very well where the jounin was. Kakashi thought about apprehending the two genins immediately but decided to give them a chance to regroup.

"Shut up, loser. It's not like you've been doing anything." Replied Sasuke, slightly irritated. If there was one thing which Sasuke envied about the Senju was his unnaturally large chakra reserves.

"Well, you're in no shape to fight all on your own. And Sakura is already unconscious. Also, I think there's a hidden meaning behind this test. If you think logically, Konoha has never had any three-man squads. Teamwork has always been the most essential concept preached in our village and I think that's what Kakashi-sensei wants to test; whether we can work together as a team…" Naruto whispered.

"I don't need anyone's help." Sasuke replied sharply glaring at the blond with his sharingan.

"Don't be stupid Sasuke. You and I, both know that you used quite a lot of chakra in getting out of the ground. And Kakashi-sensei hadn't gone easy on you in that taijutsu spar. You won't be able to get the bells on your own. And you know very well that my reasoning regarding the hidden test was sound. You're not going to achieve your dream if you don't even pass this test." Naruto replied with slightly elevated tone and narrowed eyes. Regaining his strength, a bit, Sasuke now stood straight beside Naruto. Thinking about his words, Sasuke couldn't find any flaw in Naruto's reason and had to say it sounded practical.

"Fine. Let's go with your plan. Can you wake Sakura up?" questioned Sasuke. Naruto nodded and the two swiftly proceeded to her location. Kakashi smirked, now sitting atop a tree branch.

'Looks like they figured it out. Now, all that's left to see is how well they perform together.' Thought Kakashi.

Naruto and Sasuke were now sitting deep into the woods with an unconscious Sakura beside them. Naruto placed his left palm on Sakura's forehead and a green colored chakra covered his palm. Even though, he wasn't proficient in using medical ninjutsu, he could still treat minor cuts and injuries. While Sakura was caught in a genjutsu initially, but she had passed out due to mental trauma. And judging by the fact that she was now beginning to stir, Naruto assumed it wasn't too major.

"Sasuke-kun…" muttered Sakura as she stirred on the ground. A few seconds later she opened her eyes and found Naruto sitting beside her and Sasuke a few meters away. She immediately looked around herself frantically wondering if this was a dream. Realizing that everything was normal, she breathed a sigh of relief on learning that Sasuke was alright. Naruto dumbly shook his head at the blind devotion the girl had towards the Uchiha. It was certainly mind boggling at times. Deciding not to waste any further time, Naruto explained his plan to the two of them and he was glad that both were on board with it.

A little over twenty minutes had passed since Naruto and Sasuke had disappeared from the clearing in the middle. Kakashi guessed the three would be coming anytime soon, since there wasn't much time left until noon. His suspicion was proven right when two Naruto jumped in front of him.

"Oh, it's your turn now, eh? The other two couldn't do much. Deciding to try your own luck now?" Kakashi asked lazily, as his attention was once again planted in his books.

"We'll see Kakashi-sensei…" stated both the Naruto, as they began performing different hand seals quickly.

" **Doton: Doryuu Taiga** " said one of the Naruto as he placed both his hands on the ground. Immediately, the ground below Kakashi's feet transformed into a river of mud and he was forced to jump into the air.

" **Suiton: Suishouha** " yelled the other Naruto almost immediately, as he materialized large volumes of water from thin air. Everyone else's eyes widened on witnessing the feat, as the large volume of water went straight towards Kakashi at high speed. He was further alarmed when Sasuke appeared beside the blond directed his hand towards Naruto's suiton jutsu and shot a stream of electricity towards it.

'It's hard to believe, these two are mere genin. They both could give any jounin a run for their money in ninjutsu… And I'm sure they haven't even revealed their entire strength yet.' thought Kakashi, still shocked at what he was seeing. The very next second, the large wave of water engulfed him, and his body jerked up countless times cause of the raiton chakra mixed in the jutsu. The force of the jutsu pushed him back quite a bit while also destroying a few trees in the process. Once the jutsu died down, he hit the ground with a resounding thud. As he got up in tremendous pain, he panted harshly as he fell on his knees. He felt a strange sensation as he sensed the surrounding around him change slightly displaying him the forest around him caught in an uncontrollable fire.

'Guess, this is Sakura's doing. Although, not very proficient, the genjutsu would definitely trick a simple genin…' thought Kakashi tiredly. As he somehow made a single hand seal and released chakra to break the genjutsu, he now noticed that all three of them were now standing before him. He smiled briefly under his mask on noticing the two bells in Sasuke's hands. Seeing as it was all done, he sat down on the ground, allowing his body to recover from the attack he just took.

"Well, sensei?" asked Naruto with a wide smile.

"I guess, I shouldn't be surprised that you managed to figure out the hidden meaning behind the test. You all pass!" said Kakashi with his traditional eye smile. Naruto and Sakura immediately jumped up in joy with large smiles on their faces while Sasuke simply turned away from the other three. But, Kakashi could see the slight smirk on the genin's face.

'I suppose they aren't hopeless completely when it comes to working as a team.' He thought.

And thus, began the tumultuous journey of team seven, which would go on to leave an everlasting mark in the history of the shinobi world.

* * *

 _Few months later_

About four months had passed since Kakashi had passed team seven. Since then, the team had gone on several missions as an official team of Konoha. However, none of them were even slightly pleased with the kind of missions they were given. Most of them included helping the civilians inside the village in their day to day chores, protecting important civilian figures within the village and the one they hated the most was chasing a black cat named Tora. There were very few topics which everyone agreed to, in team seven. But all were in favor of the fact that the cat named, Tora, had to die. Though it was pet, it acted as a feral feline most of the time and would frequently run around the village, hiding from his owner. The only reason the cat wasn't put down was because it belonged to the wife of the Fire Daimyo. It really irked all the genin teams in the village.

Team eight which consisted of Hinata, Kiba and Shino had also passed their genin test conducted by their sensei, Kurenai Yuhi. She was known throughout the shinobi world as the genjutsu mistress of Konohagakure. As her moniker suggested, her main forte was genjutsu and her skill was often compared to the genjutsu prowess of the Uchiha Clan's sharingan. Team ten consisted of Shikamaru, Ino and Choji which was led Asuma Sarutobi, the son of the Sandaime Hokage. The man was once part of the Twelve Guardian Shinobi, who were the elite group of people that guarded the Fire Daimyo. It was sufficed to say that the current generation of genins were all lead by powerful and respectable jounins. With all the teams busy with their missions and team training, the genins hardly got time to get together. Yet once in a week or so, they met each other in the barbeque shop, mainly on Choji's insistence. Despite team seven having relatively good team chemistry during the missions, Naruto felt slightly saddened that Sasuke still chose to ignore everyone else. But, he hadn't given up hope yet. During their test, he was sure Sasuke had enjoyed battling Kakashi together and he wanted to make Sasuke realize that they could accomplish anything if they worked together.

Currently, team seven was standing in the Hokage's office awaiting another mission. As usual, Kakashi stood beside his team reading his book blatantly. It was a couple of weeks after their test that he learned that the book read by Kakashi was written by Jiraiya. Surprised at that fact, he had once decided to peek at it from one of Jiraiya's collection. And he would never forget that day cause of the hell is mother had brought down on everyone at the Senju Compound. Apparently, his mother absolutely loathed those books and so did most of the women in Konoha. He felt a little terrifying on seeing his oji-chan get beaten up by his mother, yet again. From that day forth, he swore he would never go near any of those books, unless he faces the same fate as Jiraiya.

"Jiji, come on. Enough of these silly missions. We need to step out of the village too. We haven't even gotten a single mission higher than D-Rank!" whined Naruto. Despite knowing that Naruto was close to the Hokage, Sakura still found it hard to believe that he would speak to the Sandaime in such a manner. Sasuke shrugged his shoulders, not really caring about his attitude. He had known Naruto from a very young age and the blond had always been like this. Loud and brash. But, he did agree with Naruto's current statement.

"Naruto! Watch who you're speaking to! You guys are genins and are only expected to be doing D-Rank missions until your jounin sensei makes a request otherwise." berated Iruka, who stood beside the Hokage. He was generally the one who picked the missions for the genin squads.

"But, Iruka-sensei, come on. You know we can handle a simple C-Rank mission. Plus, how does the village expect us genins to grow, if we don't get any exposure to the outside world?" Naruto questioned with a smirk. Iruka promptly became quiet as he could not think of any reply. He couldn't even say that team seven wasn't strong enough since he knew otherwise. Hiruzen chuckled at the mildly heated exchange between the two and pondered over it for a while.

"Hmm… What do you think Kakashi?" Sarutobi finally asked the jounin sensei. Kakashi eyed his team momentarily and turned towards the Hokage. "I think they are ready, Hokage-sama. They will be able to handle a simple C-Rank mission outside the village."

"I see. If you deem them worthy enough, I guess we can assign them one, don't you think Iruka?" Sarutobi glanced towards the chunin and him nod hesitantly. Iruka then proceeded to walk out of the room and then came back a few minutes later accompanying a bespectacled old man with a large beard and dark eyes. The old man wore a sleeveless V-neck shirt with an obi, pants and a pair of sandals. He also carried a towel around his neck and wore a pointed hat on his head. The most peculiar thing however, was the large bottle of sake that he had in his hand. The Sandaime then excused the chunin academy teacher who then went back to the academy.

"Tazuna-san, team seven here will be accompanying you back to the Land of Waves and ensure your security." Stated the Hokage. The man named Tazuna eyes the little kids for a few seconds scoffed.

"What? These brats? They don't look like anything." Replied Tazuna bluntly, while also taking a swig of his sake.

"Hey! Who do you think you are calling us weak!" and no one other than Tazuna was surprised that it was Sakura who spoke first.

"You heard what I said, little girl. I don't think you kids will be able to protect me, the master builder from the Land of Waves!" boasted Tazuna proudly. Sakura wanted to beat the man for calling their team weak but stopped when she felt her sensei's hand on her shoulders. She looked back to see Kakashi shake his head.

"I assure you, they'll be more than enough, Tazuna-san. You did say it's only an escort that you need and stated it's more than a C-Rank mission. I would assign you higher ranked shinobi if the mission rank was higher… unless you're not telling us something?" The Sandaime asked with a speculative gaze. Tazuna straightened up a bit on hearing the question.

"Uhm, n… no. Of course not. Well, if the Hokage says this team is good enough, I suppose I should just go with it." Tazuna replied. But everyone had seen the slight nervousness in the man's voice albeit Sakura.

"That's good then. Team seven, I suppose this your first C-Rank mission as per your request." Sarutobi said with a small smile, looking at Kakashi's team. "And Tazuna-san. You may go and wait by the main gate. Team seven will rendezvous with you shortly once they are packed with the necessities."

"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, get going and pack for three days of travel. We will meet at the eastern gate in ten minutes. Everyone understood?" Kakashi asked. Soon enough, team seven had left the Hokage's office to pack for the mission and Tazuna was escorted to the gate by an Anbu. However, Sarutobi's keen gaze had not missed the slight change in Tazuna's tone. Moreover, he was uncertain of the conditions in the Land of Waves since the Fire Nation or their village had no dealings with them currently.

"Usagi, get me team eight over here as soon as possible." Sarutobi commanded. While he was confident in team seven's abilities, he did not wish to put them in any unnecessary danger. Moreover, it would be beneficial to have a team on stand by for support if something went awry. A purple haired Anbu suddenly materialized in front of the Hokage who knelt before her leader.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." She replied and disappeared from Sarutobi's view.

* * *

 _Eastern Gate of Konohagakure no Sato (Also the main gate)_

After ten minutes, all the members of seven had regrouped with backpacks, having packed all the necessities for their travel to the Land of Waves. This was the first time since any of these genin were travelling to that land but were more excited on prospect of finally embarking on a C-Rank mission outside the village.

Naruto wore a black jumpsuit with a gray haori which had the symbol of the Senju Clan engraved on the back and a pair standard shinobi sandal. He also had a blue backpack. Sasuke wore white shorts white short, blue turtle neck t-shirt with the Uchiha Clan symbol on it's back and had a black backpack. And Sakura wore a red qipao dress with short sleeves and had a light-yellow colored backpack.

"Everyone ready?" Kakashi asked. On the side, Tazuna was still unsure whether these kids would be able to protect him from the dangers that were awaiting him in his homeland, but he supposed he would just have to take the Hokage's word for it. He only hoped everything went according to plan. Still, he was glad to be able to secure a team of shinobi for protection.

Once Kakashi received nods from all the members of his team, he looked towards Tazuna.

"Tazuna-san, please stay in the middle. Naruto will stay in the front, Sakura on the right, Sasuke on the left and I will stay behind you. That way, if anything happens, we'll be able to ensure your safety first." After clearing that with the bridge builder, team seven and Tazuna left the village and made their way towards the Land of Waves at civilian pace.

* * *

 _ **Author Notes: Been a while since I updated this story, so here it is. Naruto and his friends have finally graduated from the academy and embark on their life as shinobi. I have taken quite a similar route to the canon, but in that seemed more appropriate to me given the perspective of this story. However, there will be deviation from the canon story-line, once the story progresses further. Given how Indra was able to manipulate katon and raiton chakra at a young age, I believe people shouldn't be surprised that Sasuke is able to do the same too. While Sasuke is able to manipulate katon and raiton, he hasn't completely mastered the two chakra manipulation. It's the same case with Naruto. While I'm basing Sasuke's progress on Indra, Naruto's progress as a shinobi in his early age is more based on Hashirama than Ashura. But Naruto and Sasuke's personalities won't be completely alike to their previous reincarnations.**_

 _ **I know there are some gaps in the story, especially when it comes to what happened with Naruto when he was kidnapped by Danzo and Orochimaru. And what exactly did they want with him. Do not worry, that too will be revealed at a later point when Naruto and Danzo confront each other again. Regarding team seven's first mission, there will be a few surprises on the way. And finally for the Naruto-Hinata lovers, their story will essentially begin in the next chapter.**_

 _ **Please do follow, favorite and review the story! I really appreciate all the support everyone has shown towards this story till now and I hope the readers will continue to do so. I will try my best to keep up with everyone's expectations.**_

 **Until next time!**


	17. Chapter 17

_**Advent of Mokuzai**_

* * *

 **Chapter 17: The mission in Nami no Kuni (Part 1)**

* * *

A couple of hours had passed since team seven and Tazuna had left Konoha. And not much had transpired with the group since then. Since they were travelling at civilian pace, it would take them about three hours more to reach Tazuna's house.

Naruto was a little surprised by how much Tazuna could drink. He had already finished the bottle sake that he was carrying and had opened another one, a little while ago. He chuckled on thinking that the self-proclaimed master bridge builder could give his mother a good contest when it came to drinking sake. It wasn't that he approved of his mother's drinking habits, but after years of telling her to quit and not seeing any change, he had listed her habit as a hopeless case. While Kakashi was busy reading his book most of their way, Sakura kept stealing glances towards Sasuke and to his surprise, a few times even at Tazuna. He assumed she wanted to ask him questions about his homeland. This was the first any three of them would be stepping outside the Fire Nation, let alone their village. So, it was only natural to be curious.

"Tazuna-san, how does the Land of Waves look like?" Sakura finally asked. It was getting hard for her to remain quiet after this long. Tazuna wiped some sake off his beard and looked towards the pink haired girl.

"Nami no Kuni is essentially an island, surrounded by ocean on all sides. It has a lot of rivers running through it and our land is mainly famous for the mangrove forest. And there are several different species of animals residing in that forest too. Nami no Kuni doesn't have any shinobi village, so you wouldn't see too many shinobi out there." Replied the old man. From the sound of it, the place seemed to be an amazing place for a short vacation to Sakura and Naruto. Having lived their whole life surrounded by the lush green forests of their village, they had never seen an ocean before.

"So, how do you guys protect yourself if there's ever an attack? Isn't it scary having no sort of protection?" Sakura questioned curiously. "Such lands normally request the closest shinobi village for assistance, Sakura. Most of the people in Nami no Kuni don't have any form of training. Their main source of business also depends on trade and commerce. So, it's unlikely for shinobi to attack a place such as that. But, then again, anything could happen in the shinobi world." It was Kakashi who had replied and shed some light regarding the land they were travelling to. Sakura was surprised on hearing that no one had any form training in Nami no Kuni. She spent her whole life living among ninjas, so she guessed it would strange for her to live in a place that had no shinobi. While Sasuke wasn't really interested in any of talks that he heard, he too was surprised by that fact. It eventually became quiet again, as the group kept walking towards their destination. It was a relatively sunny day and the canopy of the large trees provided a perfect shade for the people walking by. Naruto's eyes suddenly caught a small pool of puddle to his right, which he found to be quite strange. It certainly hadn't rained in the past few days and there wasn't sign of water anywhere around them. He discreetly glanced back towards and noticed that Sasuke too had caught on to that. Deciding not to voice his thoughts, he kept his guard up, in case something unexpected happened.

He wasn't proven wrong. As soon as the five passed by the small puddle, two shinobi swiftly appeared out of the small pool of water and bound Kakashi with shuriken laced chains, effectively cleaving them in half.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!" Sakura screamed in horror on seeing her sensei get killed out of nowhere. Naruto and Sasuke immediately jumped in front of Tazuna and Sakura. On observing the two shinobi before them, they noticed that the two had Kirigakure forehead protectors with slash mark across them.

"Missing ninja…" Naruto commented with narrowed eyes. It was Sasuke who made the first move and ran towards the two with a kunai in hand.

"Sakura, protect Tazuna, okay?" Naruto said and following the Uchiha's lead, he too ran towards the ex Kiri shinobi. As Naruto and Sasuke neared the two missing ninjas, Sasuke went for the one covered in black cloak while Naruto went for the other one. Sasuke promptly went for a slash across the shinobi's chest which was blocked a large metal gauntlet. Ducking under the shinobi, Sasuke gave a hard kick to the person's chin, making him grunt in pain. While Sasuke's opponent was slightly disoriented, Naruto made a single hand seal, creating a Kage bunshin, which went straight for the metal chain connecting the metal gauntlet worn by the two shinobi.

"Gozu, you, all right?" asked the one Naruto was facing.

"Yeah Meizu. These kids are better than expected. We may need to put more effort." Stated the shinobi wearing the black cloak. Sasuke and Naruto now stood beside each other, blocking the straight path to Sakura and Tazuna. The old bridge builder was sweating profusely as he thought that the jounin team leader was already dead. He just wondered how long these kids would be able to hold the two shinobi if they could kill even a Konoha jounin. Sakura too, was not having a good time. She would be lying if she said, she wasn't feeling scared.

Gozu and Meizu momentarily looked at each other and nodded. While Meizu ran straight towards Naruto and Sasuke, Gozu jumped high into the air and threw several shuriken aimed at Tazuna and Sakura who had their eyes widened in fear. Sasuke ran forward to block Meizu and the two engaged in taijutsu, while Sakura held shakily held a kunai in her hand. However, Naruto appeared in front of Tazuna and Sakura immediately and gracefully deflected all the shurikens aimed at the two behind him with his own kunai. He then quickly took out three more kunais from his back pouch, coated them with fuuton chakra and flung them towards Gozu, who was still in mid-air. Before Gozu could realize what had happened, the four kunais pierced his body in different parts and he fell on to the ground with a large thud.

"Gozu!" yelled Meizu in fear as he looked at his brother's fallen body. Taking his chance, Sasuke lunged forward and slashed the shinobi's neck before he could react. Naruto then proceeded to check if Gozu was certainly dead and then went back to regroup with Sakura and Tazuna once he was certain.

Sakura couldn't believe that Naruto and Sasuke had just killed two shinobis who had taken out their sensei. She was still shaking a little in fear, wondering what they would do next. While Tazuna was relieved as well as surprised at the Konoha's genin's skills, even he was slightly apprehensive about what was about to come.

"Naruto! Kakashi-sensei… is…" stuttered Sakura as Naruto approached her with a warm smile. It was at this time that Kakashi suddenly appeared behind Naruto, greatly surprising Sakura and Tazuna.

"You're not dead!?" exclaimed both Sakura and Tazuna.

"Of course not. Look there." Kakashi said calmly, pointing towards a log of wood, where Kakashi was believed to have died. "I simply substituted myself. I would have stepped in, if things went out of hands, but it appears you guys had it under control. All three of you did a great job." Kakashi congratulated with an eye smile. Sakura had the decency to appear a little shy as she realized, she had never noticed that log of wood earlier or thought about looking around for their sensei. By this time, Sasuke and Naruto had already regrouped with the others. Unlike Sakura, they were already aware of the fact that Kakashi had substitution to escape earlier.

Considering everything that happened right now, Kakashi was suspicious as to why the Demon brothers from Kiri were after Tazuna. The two were mere chunins who had gone rouge a few years back, along with another shinobi. This completely changed the scope of the mission they were originally given. He turned towards Tazuna with narrowed eyes and sighed on seeing the nervousness on the man's face.

"What's going on Tazuna-san? These two were chunins and missing ninja from Kirigakure. We weren't informed that you were targeted by missing ninja. What is it that you're not telling us?" Kakashi asked firmly.

"Uh… Uhm you see…" Tazuna chuckled nervously under the stern gaze of the jounin.

"Tazuna-san, if you tell us everything honestly, we'll be able to protect you better, you know." Naruto chipped in, to make the bridge builder feel at ease. Tazuna sighed tiredly and decided to tell them. It would do him no good, after all the trouble he went to hire a team of shinobi.

"It all started a few months. As Kakashi-san had stated earlier, our nation depends on trade and commerce for business. A while back, a man named Gato set his sights on our land. He opened a base of operations in our country and ever since then has taken control of all the trade routes, all of which are by sea. Since then, the people of my land hardly get any profits or make enough money to sustain our families. The livelihood of our land has gone completely down. And no one can speak against Gato or do anything in fear. So, I decided, if I manage to build a bridge from Nami no Kuni to Hi no Kuni, we would have another trade route, which would allow us to open business by land with Hi no Kuni. But, I also knew Gato wouldn't just allow me to build a bridge. That's why I decided to hire shinobi from Konohagakure no Sato to oversee my family and I while the bridge gets built." Confessed Tazuna, as he began feeling guilty. He wasn't sure if the Konoha shinobi would still choose to come with him, now that they knew the whole truth. The future of his land depended on this bridge, he was planning to build. Naruto and Sakura were both saddened by hearing Tazuna's words and genuinely wished to help him.

"That still does not explain, why you chose for a C-Rank mission. You could have told the truth to the Hokage and I'm sure he would have arranged something according to your needs." Kakashi replied.

"I only had enough money for a C-Rank mission, Kakashi-san…" Tazuna said with his head hung low.

"Kakashi-sensei, we have to help them! Obviously Tazuna-san didn't have any wrong intentions with him when he came to Konoha. He was just thinking about the welfare of his family and his land." Naruto commented, hoping to persuade Kakashi.

"But, the mission has now become an A-Rank mission. And you guys are certainly not ready for that…" Kakashi said, still thinking through things.

"We should continue. We aren't so weak, and you know that." Kakashi was a little surprised when he heard Sasuke's voice. He certainly did not expect that from him. But, he also knew there was truth in his words. Sasuke and Naruto were indeed strong. While Sakura wasn't as strong as her teammates, she was good in a supportive role. Looking at the eager faces of his team, he sighed, knowing he may regret this decision.

"All right. Since, everyone seems to be confident. We'll continue with it. But, everyone needs to be on guard. This time it was two chunin, it will probably be someone stronger who confronts us next."

"Yeah! You can count on us Kakashi-sensei! Team seven can handle anything!" cheered Naruto as he pumped his fist in the air. Sasuke also smirked, knowing he would get to have more fights. For him to get stronger, he would need to test his strength against stronger opponents. The ones he faced before, were both pathetic in his regard. A look of relief washed over Tazuna's face as he gratefully looked towards the blond kid. Maybe with these shinobi, Nami no Kuni might get another chance to thrive despite Gato's rule. Kakashi then proceeded to store the two dead shinobi in a scroll and once everyone had collected their bags, the group of five was once again on route towards Tazuna's house.

Another hour had passed as Tazuna and the Konoha shinobi now began nearing the coast, from where they had to take a boat to Nami no Kuni. A few minutes, the area began to slowly get surrounded by mist. At first it was only minimal, but the more they walked forward, the more the mist increased. Everyone suddenly came to a stop as it became hard for everyone to see. Sasuke's eyes immediately turned to the sharingan as he looked around himself, ready to defend himself any second. Sakura too took out a kunai, and got into a fighting stance beside Tazuna, appearing to be slightly more confident than before.

"This isn't any normal mist. There's chakra laced in it." Naruto confirmed. Upon further inspection, he could also feel two more chakra signatures. Kakashi calmly observed his surroundings and kept his senses on high alert to check for any sort of movement.

"DUCK!" Kakashi yelled hurriedly. Without another thought, everyone immediately ducked down as they heard a large sword cleaving the space above them.

"Sharingan no Kakashi… It's no wonder, Gozu and Meizu failed to capture the bridge builder. Their skill is nothing compared to the likes of you." Team seven and Tazuna heard a menacing voice echo through the area. Tazuna dropped his backpack, as he took a couple of step back in fears, unable to withstand the killing intent that was being radiated in the area. While Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke were able to stand their ground firmly, Sakura was not faring well. She had never felt this much killing intent before and was beginning to feel herself shake.

'This is too much. Is… th… this how jounins fight?' she thought morbidly. She slowly brought her kunai close to her own neck as he thought it would be better to kill herself than stand another second in this pressure.

"Oh? Already scared are you, little girl? Genin's weakness these days disgust me. But, don't worry. I will put you out of your misery soon enough." The voice echoed again, and a few tears unknowingly slipped her eyes, as the voice appeared to be coming from right behind her. She shut her eyes close and waited for anything, but all she heard was the sound of metal clanking.

" **Fuuton: Daitoppa** " Naruto said, exhaling a large wall air all around his team to disperse the mist surrounding them.

"Don't worry Sakura. I shall always protect my teammates. You don't have to worry as long as I'm here." Kakashi assured, as he held off the shinobi holding the large sword with just a kunai. A few seconds, both Kakashi and the shinobi jumped back to get some distance from each other. Naruto and Sasuke immediately stood in front of Sakura and Tazuna protectively.

"You guys, stand back. This person is a jounin, just like me. He's a dangerous shinobi. I'll deal with him myself." Kakashi ordered with complete seriousness.

"Who is he?" asked Sasuke. Judging by how the man was swinging that large sword, he must have incredible physical strength. His body was itching for a fight now, on seeing this shinobi.

"Zabuza Momochi, also known as the Kirigakure no Kijin." Kakashi stated, as he lifted his forehead protector off his left eye and revealed a fully matured sharingan. Zabuza eyed the blond kid momentarily before turning his attention towards Kakashi.

"The sharingan already huh? Guess, you are deciding to take the fight seriously... that's good to know" Zabuza taunted. Naruto however, was concerned about the second chakra signature he had sensed earlier. He knew there was someone hiding within the trees to their right. But, it confused him that the person did chose to hide rather than to come out in the open.

"Sasuke, there's another person hiding at the top, to our right. We must be careful in case the person drops by suddenly." Naruto whispered under his breath. Sasuke simply nodded as he kept his eyes glued to the two jounins who were still staring at each other. A dumb look appeared on Naruto's face for a second as he realized the Uchiha was too enthralled to watch Kakashi and Zabuza fight. He couldn't blame him. Even he wanted to see his sensei's skill in a real fight.

Without a moment's notice, Zabuza ran straight towards Kakashi, who stood his ground firmly. As the former Kiri shinobi was a meter away from Kakashi, he swung his large sword horizontally, hoping to cleave the Konoha jounin in half. With a show of impressive strength, Kakashi managed to block the sword with his kunai, but a few seconds later his hand began to budge slightly. Quickly jumping up, Kakashi aimed a kick to Zabuza's head, sending the large man stumbling a few feet back. Reacting swiftly, Zabuza performed a few hand seals and to his surprise, Kakashi began mimicking him perfectly.

" **Suiton: Suiryuudan no jutsu** " finished both the jounins at the same time. Two columns of water suddenly rose from the water in the form of a large dragon and raced towards each other. As the two jutsus collided, the entire area was showered with water all around. Naruto performed a doton jutsu to erect a small wall in front of his team and Tazuna which deflected the strong current of water to their sides.

As the area cleared down a little more, Kakashi noticed that Zabuza was not standing atop water. Not wasting any time, Kakashi ran forward at high speeds. As soon as Kakashi came close, his hands began sparkling with electricity and before Zabuza could react, he ducked under another of the former Kiri shinobi's swings and thrusted his arm into his ribs.

" **Chidori** " Kakashi said, but to his horror, the person before him dissolved into water as soon as his hand met the body. Another Zabuza suddenly rose from the water behind Kakashi and within a second sliced his large sword through Kakashi's head. Zabuza smirked, thinking that he had won the duel, but his smile soon faded as the Kakashi before him turned into electricity and he felt himself getting electrocuted. With sheer strength, Zabuza pulled himself back together and jumped back to look around himself. He gritted his sharp teeth in frustration as he noticed the sharingan wielder was still standing on land.

"A raiton kage bunshin?" Naruto said in amazement. The Kage bunshin was one of his special jutsus and he had never thought of utilizing it with an element in such a way. Sasuke was equally amazed at the fight he was witnessing. It was only due to his years of constant training that he was able withstand the killer intent the two jounins were giving off.

"It doesn't look like, you can stand anymore Zabuza." Kakashi commented with his usual blank expression.

"Heh… don't act as if you've won." Panted Zabuza, now on his knees. Kakashi's senses suddenly went on high alerts as he felt someone behind him. By the time he turned back, he noticed another Zabuza behind him who kicked him right in the chest, sending him flying towards the water. As Kakashi came rose from the water again, his eyes widened in horror. 'This isn't normal water…' he thought.

" **Suiton: Suiro no jutsu** " Zabuza called out, as Kakashi got trapped in a sphere of water. He tried getting out but realized that the water surrounding him was noticeably heavier.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled on seeing his sensei get captured in that jutsu.

"You guys, make a run for it as quickly as possible! Zabuza can't come after you so long as he keeps me trapped inside this jutsu." Kakashi yelled from within the sphere of water. Sakura was on the verge of tears as she realized the predicament their team was in. Until now she never realized, the life of a shinobi could turn out to be like this. Kakashi's eyes widened yet again, as he saw Naruto and Sasuke step forward instead of heeding to his advice.

"Who do you think we are Kakashi-sensei? We can't leave you behind. We are a team after all." Naruto declared. Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other shortly and nodded.

"Oh? You mere genins think, you can defeat me? You guys got guts, I will say that." Zabuza laughed, as he created ten mizu bunshins, using his free hand.

" **Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu** " Sasuke said, breathing out a large ball of fire from his mouth.

" **Fuuton: Daitoppa** " Naruto called out, blowing a large gust of wind, which further fueled the katon jutsu, making it grow tremendously. As the two combined jutsu rushed towards Zabuza, five of his clones appeared before him and cleaved the large ball of fire. However, his eyes widened when the katon jutsu died down, a hail of kunai and shurikens coated in raiton chakra came rushing towards the remaining clones, dispelling them effectively. He further noticed that the dark-haired kid now had a fuma shuriken in his hands, which was then flung straight towards him. Zabuza smirked when he simply side stepped the fuma shuriken and dodged it easily.

"Hah, what was with that aim?" Zabuza questioned as he laughed. He must say, the kids weren't half bad. However, he regained his composure when he couldn't find the blond kid anywhere before him. Suddenly looking behind, him, a surprised look appeared on his face. The fuma shuriken he had dodged now transformed into the blond kid who threw a kunai towards his arm that was holding the water sphere keeping Kakashi trapped. He cursed himself for being so laxed, as he now had to jump away from his unless get hit by that kunai.

Soon as Zabuza jumped away, the water sphere keeping Kakashi trapped immediately dissolved, freeing him.

"Naruto, get back now. You've done enough. I appreciate the help." Kakashi stated, as he took deep breaths, to calm himself. Naruto smirked at Sasuke and his handiwork and jumped back beside his team. He couldn't deny he wasn't having fun and from the look on Sasuke's face, Naruto was sure, he was too. He smiled slightly as he felt just like the old times when Sasuke and him used to train together.

"Tch… the kid just got lucky." Zabuza commented. He certainly couldn't take these two kids lightly now. They proved to be better than he expected.

"Don't flatter yourself, Zabuza. You were forced to let go." Kakashi replied, making the swordsman get further irritated. Deciding not to reply to Kakashi's taunts, Zabuza began performing a set of long strings of hand seals. He was beginning to tire out slightly and did not have much stamina left. That raiton kage bunshin combined with the surrounding water had weakened him considerably. He would need to make sure his last attack was a powerful one. However, a horrified look appeared on his face as he noticed Kakashi once again copying him but this time the Konoha jounin was doing it faster than him.

"How…" Zabuza started.

"…can I read your mind?" Kakashi said, finishing Zabuza's sentence. Once again, Zabuza became speechless, not knowing how Kakashi was able to pull this off. However, Sasuke had a smirk on his face as he knew exactly how his sensei was able to perform that feat. He kept his sharingan active all the while, copying any of the jutsus he had seen in this fight. It may prove to be useful in the future. It seemed as if Kakashi was quite proficient in using the sharingan. "This is the end Zabuza…" Kakashi said as he finished performing the hand seal before Zabuza could.

" **Suiton: Daibakufu no jutsu** " Kakashi yelled. Suddenly a large tidal wave of water, something akin to a cyclone rose from behind Kakashi and crashed into Zabuza roughly. The jutsu continued to push Zabuza back and crashed into several trees until it died down. Once the water had cleared a little, everyone noticed that Zabuza was passed out on the ground. Kakashi weakly walked towards the ground with a kunai in his hand, hoping to kill Zabuza when another presence arrived on the field.

Naruto and Sasuke narrowed their eyes when they saw another shinobi with long hair and white mask covering their face.

"I must thank you Konoha shinobi. I had been chasing Zabuza for quite some time and you saved me trouble of fighting alone." Said the shinobi, in a rather gentle voice. He then took out two senbon needles from his pouch and expertly flicked them towards the downed Zabuza on his neck.

"Who are you?" questioned Sasuke. From the looks of it, this shinobi had been here for a while and had witnessed the entire fight between them.

"I'm a hunter ninja from Kirigakure. I was sent to capture the shinobi named Zabuza Momochi, dead or alive." Stated the person.

"It's alright guys. This is not a matter of our village anymore." Kakashi said, barely able to stand. He had used a lot of chakra in his fight with Zabuza and he had overused the sharingan, rendering him extremely weak as of now. The hunter ninja from Kirigakure then proceeded to seal Zabuza's body in a scroll and took off without any further talks. Tazuna sighed in huge relief, as he finally realized the fight had ended. He couldn't how ridiculously strong these shinobi were. Though he had never really seen shinobi fight before, what he had witnessed today was certainly incredible and he was sure that this group could protect him from any danger.

Everyone's attention suddenly turned towards Kakashi as he suddenly fell on the ground, with heavy breaths. It was Naruto who immediately rushed towards him, followed by Sakura and Sasuke.

"Sensei, are you okay?" Naruto asked with worry. He placed the palm of his hand on Kakashi's chest as he tried looking for any kind of injury.

"Ahh, don't worry. I think I overused the sharingan a lot for today and I'm very low on chakra right now. I don't think I'll be able to move for rest of the day…" Kakashi replied tiredly.

"Being a non-Uchiha, he can't turn his sharingan off. So, it constantly siphons off his chakra. I am surprised he could last even that long." Sasuke shared as he folded his arms over his chest. Naruto's hands began glowing with green chakra as he tried to ease off Kakashi's pain a little. Sakura could only stare in awe as she looked at her team. She felt ashamed that she couldn't help her teammates in any way, but she remained quiet about it. She did not wish to weigh anyone down. Glancing at Sasuke and Naruto, she found it hard to fathom how much stronger they were compared to rest of their class. Up until now, she had only seen at the bright side of being a shinobi and never really cared about anything else. But during their mission today, it made her realize how utterly diminished her skills as a ninja were. She never really practiced any of the shinobi skills back at home and her only strong point was her knowledge and chakra control. Maybe, she could ask Kakashi-sensei to help her out once he had recovered. She did not ever want to have this feeling of apprehension again.

A few minutes later, once Naruto was done, Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief, as he felt a little rejuvenated. He was highly surprised with Naruto's skill in medical ninjutsu. 'Of course, Tsunade-sama would make him delve into it. She is regarded as the greatest medical ninja in the shinobi world currently.' Kakashi thought.

"My house is not that far from here. We should be able to reach there within forty minutes." Tazuna said once he saw that Kakashi could stand. While Sakura helped Tazuna with his backpack, Sasuke and Naruto helped Kakashi walk and the group of five once again went on their way towards Tazuna's house in Nami no Kuni.

About two hundred feet north-west of the area where team seven fought Zabuza, stood two people with curious looks in their eyes. "Well, that wasn't too bad, if I must say. The boy certainly has some skill…" chuckled the larger of the two, displaying his shark like teeth.

"I agree. We must keep following them. Leader-sama wants as much information about the Kyubi jinchuriki he can get… let's go Kisame." Stated the shorter one in a monotone voice.

* * *

 _An hour later in Nami no Kuni_

As team seven followed Tazuna to his house, they were utterly shocked on seeing the state Nami no Kuni's people. Most of the people had gloomy looks on their faces and accompanied by their skinny frame, it appeared as if they barely got to eat anything most of the days. A lot of the shops they came across were closed and the ones which were open appeared to be inadequately stocked from the outside. That was a stark contrast to how the place looked. There were tall lush green trees surrounding the road they were walking on and the air had a sort of wet feel to it. Naruto assumed it was mostly humid because the place was surrounded by ocean. There were also a few stray dogs and cats that were lying beside one of the fountains in the market district they had crossed, not too long ago.

A few minutes later, they stopped in front of a two-story house, which was fell on the outskirts. The house had a small porch which had two seats and a small table in it. Though the house did not look as bad as the ones the team had across the town a while back, they could see that the property had seen better days. But, it wasn't their place to complain. In fact, they were looking forward to meeting Tazuna's family, who lived with his daughter and grandson.

As the five now waited outside the main door of the house, it was shortly opened by a relatively young lady with long blue colored hair. She wore a short-sleeved pink shirt with the end of the sleeves and the collar being red in color. She also wore a long blue skirt.

"Tou-san, you're back! Oh, and who might these people be?" the lady asked warmly.

"Tsunami, these are Konoha shinobi. I hired them for protection against Gato and his men. You wouldn't believe the day I had today." Tazuna said rather excitedly, as he stepped inside the house and invited the others in too.

"Calm yourself down first. You must be tired from your long journey." Tsunami said and then turned towards the Konoha shinobi who looked to be quite tired too from their looks. "Uhm, why don't you wait sit down over here? I will get everyone some water." She said. Sasuke and Naruto gently placed Kakashi over a futon and then the three genins sat on the dining table beside Tazuna, who had taken out yet another bottle of sake.

"Kakashi-sensei, how long do you think you'll take to recover?" Sakura asked on seeing her sensei's half lidded eyes. 'He must be extremely exhausted after his fight with that man named, Zabuza' she thought.

"Well, by tomorrow hopefully, I will be recovered from chakra exhaustion." Kakashi replied. "Oh, that reminds me, would send a letter to Hokage-sama, telling him everything that happened? It's important." A few seconds later, Tsunami entered the room, carrying a tray with pitcher of water and several glass. As she placed it on the table, all three genins immediately took a sip of the cold water and felt their body cool down slightly. Naruto also handed a glass of water to Kakashi as the jounin could barely move by himself right now. The Konoha shinobi then went on to introduce themselves to Tsunami one by one and Tazuna narrated all the events that had transpired on his way back to Nami no Kuni to his daughter.

"Oh, my! That sounds terrible. I'm so glad you're okay tou-san… And I sincerely can't thank you people for protecting my tou-san even though he wasn't honest in the beginning.' She said earnestly, with a deep bow to team seven. Naruto and Sakura felt a little embarrassed on being treated in such a way, which was evident with the slight blush on both their faces, while Sasuke did not really care about any of these pleasantries. He was just glad to be sitting somewhere after their long journey. However, there was one thing that had been bugging him for the past hour or so.

"Please, you don't have to be so formal with us. We are glad to be of help. And we'll certainly make sure this Gato doesn't interfere with Tazuna-san's business!" Naruto replied cheerily. Tsunami giggled lightly on seeing such enthusiastic behavior from Naruto and it made her feel a little at ease about her father's work. Initially, she had been greatly worried about her father's life. Gato had made everyone's life miserable in Nami no Kuni and maybe now, they had some hope. Just then, they heard someone scoff from near the stairs, followed by loud receding stomping.

"That was my son, please excuse him. He's not that good with people… but he's generally a very nice boy." Tsunami said, in a low voice. Everyone could see that she seemed a little troubled about her son, but no one brought up any questions regarding that now.

"By the way Kakashi-sensei, aren't Hunter ninja supposed to cut off their target's head and burn the body to prevent it from falling into enemy's hands. The hunter ninja we encountered did not follow the proper protocol which I had read about…" Sasuke voiced his doubts. On hearing that, both Naruto and Kakashi's eyes widened a little. While Naruto did not know about this fact, he did feel something off about that shinobi who showed himself as a Hunter ninja.

"You may be right Sasuke. That is the normal protocol that is followed by the Hunter ninjas of all villages. Moreover, now that I think about it, even the senbon needles must have been to put Zabuza in a death like state, in case we checked him for any vitals. I should have made sure to check him earlier." Kakashi uttered, sounding distressed.

"So, wait, you don't mean Zabuza is still alive, do you, sensei?" Sakura questioned fearfully. Tazuna had the same apprehensive look appear on her face while Tsunami looked rather confused by all the talks. But, she understood that this Zabuza person was one of the people who had tried to kill her father.

"That is correct Sakura. And that hunter ninja was most likely an accomplice of Zabuza. However, I do think it might be a few days before they attack again. Probably three to four days. And Zabuza and that hunter ninja may not be alone, the next time they attack. So, do ask Hokage-sama to send another squad for assistance when you send the letter." Kakashi said seriously. His face softened relatively the very next second. "Tazuna-san, do you have a room my team could use for the time we'll be here? I really do need to take some rest."

"Of course. What kind of host do you think I am?" Tazuna replied grumpily, the effects of the sake clearly visible on his slightly red face. Naruto and Sasuke helped Kakashi get up and followed Tazuna upstairs, while Sakura followed Tsunami to the kitchen to help with dinner preparations.

As soon as Kakashi lied down on the floor, he immediately passed out as the exhaustion from the entire day hit him with full force. Sasuke then began writing the letter that would be sent to the Sandaime, reporting about the Demon Brothers, Zabuza and requesting for further help. He stopped mid-way when another question bothered him.

"How will be deliver the letter to the Hokage? We don't have any means." Sasuke stated. Naruto raised his eyebrow in confusion but then realized Sasuke wasn't aware of his summoning contract. Instead of replying, he bit his thumb to draw some blood and performed a few hand seals.

" **Kuchiyose no jutsu** " Naruto said quietly. Immediately there was a puff of smoke in the room and there appeared to be a small toad sitting before Sasuke. It was a small orange toad with purple markings around his eyes, mouth and stomach. The toad appeared to be small enough to fit on Naruto's head.

"Yo boss! What do you need?" the toad asked, further surprising Sasuke. Naruto chuckled softly on seeing the surprised look on Sasuke's face. Little did Naruto know that, internally Sasuke felt a slight bit of anger. The blond was getting stronger with every passing moment and it made him wonder realistically, if he'd able to beat Naruto in a fight to death. While Sasuke was aware of Naruto's kekkei genkai, Mokuton, he had his own trump card, which he was certain no one knew about. But, then again, he wondered if that'd be enough. Itachi's words from the night when he slaughtered his clan still haunted him to this day.

"Hey kichi, can you deliver a scroll to Sandaime-jiji for me? It's important and he needs to get it right away!" Naruto replied and even gave the toad some candies which he took out of his pouch. Gamakichi instantly lapped the candies with the long tongue and swallowed it all, greatly enjoying the taste of it.

"Sure thing. You can count on me! And thanks for the candies." Gamakichi replied with a satisfied look on his face.

"Hey, Sasuke! Are you okay? You spaced out there for a moment." He heard Naruto's voice and dazed out of his thoughts. "When did you sign a summoning contract?" Sasuke questioned, trying not to sound too interested. "Uhm, I think about a year ago or so. But, I was saying, Gamakichi will deliver the letter to Sandaime-jiji. It wouldn't take more than ten minutes. He'll go back to Mount Myoboku and from there he'll go to the Hokage's office." Naruto explained. Deciding not to probe any further, Sasuke quickly wrote the letter in a scroll and handed it to the frog, who disappeared after waving goodbye to the blond.

* * *

Few hours later, once Kakashi had woken up from his well needed sleep, Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi were sitting at the dining table along with Tazuna and were waiting for dinner to be served. About ten minutes later, Tsunami and Sakura walked into the living room with several steaming bowls and placed it on the table. Soon enough, the two girls also joined the table and the last to enter the room was Tsunami's son, Inari. He was a young kid with spiky black hair and dark colored eyes. He wore a green jumpsuit with a yellow shirt and simple pair of sandals. In addition, he also wore a blue and white stripped hat.

"Inari, come on. Take a seat. You wouldn't want the dinner to get cold." Tsunami urged. The Konoha shinobi found it a little strange that Inari did not utter anything. He simply sat down and began eating his food. The other people on the table also started taking small portions of food onto their plate and started eating, shortly. While eating his food, Inari kept glancing towards Naruto as his face turned into a frown. About fifteen minutes or so into dinner, the young boy abruptly got up on his spot, catching everyone else's attention.

"Do you think you're some sort of hero? You're just going to die if you try going against Gato and his men. There's no way you can beat him. You don't know how much we have suffered under him. I doubt you even know what it means to suffer. You probably lived your whole life sheltered in the shinobi village!" yelled Inari, taking aback team seven with his words.

"Why do you say such things?" questioned Naruto calmly. The blond was genuinely interested in Inari's way of thinking.

"Because, there's no such thing as hope!" retorted Inari. Tsunami gained a concerned look on her face on hearing her child's words. It hurt her that he would think that way. She tried calm him and make him sit down, but Inari simply ignored her touch and glared at the blond shinobi in front of him.

"Its true, I have no idea what you went through and I don't know how the people of this land really feel but I know one thing for sure." Naruto said quietly as he too got up and stared directly into Inari's eyes. "No matter how hard a situation gets, that's no excuse to give up. You may not be able to find a solution right away, but if you keep trying, one day, you definitely will. But, the moment you give up and abandon everything you believe in, that is when all hope is truly lost. And I will never give up, and that's my ninja way." Naruto replied passionately. The other members of team seven and even Tazuna and Tsunami were enthralled by Naruto's words and they could feel his earnest feelings behind them, but Inari simply seemed to get more irritated on hearing Naruto.

"Stop saying nonsense. You're only saying that because you're a ninja. You don't know what it means to be lonely or what it means to lose someone!" Inari shouted as a few tears dropped from his eyes. He expected the blonde to retort, to yell at him otherwise but was surprised on hearing the melancholy tone.

"I've been hated by my village from the moment I was born. I have been scorned and attacked by the entire village from the time I could begin to walk and think properly. And not a day goes by, when I'm not glared at by them. I never had a father figure in my life. But, my mother tries her best to make sure I don't feel lonely and I love her for that. So, I believe, I could understand your pain a little. Despite all that, I still haven't given up hope. I want to make the villagers acknowledge me and look at me differently. I want to be Hokage someday and protect my village despite of what they might think of me. Because, even if they do hate me, I love everyone in the village with all my heart. And I can assure you, I will never give up hope." Naruto said and quietly walked out of the house. He wished to be alone for a while, to clear his head. Bringing up all those memories of his childhood made him unable to think practically. Inari stared at Naruto's spot for a few more seconds as more tears slipped his eyes. He suddenly left the dining table and ran upstairs, unable to stay in that room any longer.

"Inari!" Tsunami called out and was about to go after him when Tazuna caught her wrist. "Give him some time, Tsunami. I think, he needs it right now." Tazuna said, in a surprisingly gentle voice.

"Kakashi-sensei, why is Naruto hated by the villagers?" Sakura questioned meekly. She felt ashamed that she was one of the people who had ridiculed him years ago, in front of everyone. Even now, when their team went on simple D-Rank missions around the village, she had noticed the looks filled with anger and hatred directed towards Naruto. And it baffled her, in spite of all that Naruto could remain to be so happy. Sasuke, on the other hand, was already aware of the reason but decided to stay quiet about it.

"It's not my place to answer that question, Sakura. I assume when the time is right, Naruto will reveal the truth to you, himself." Kakashi replied. He too felt disheartened on hearing Naruto's words. He felt proud of the fact that Naruto understood the villager's feelings and did not hate them, but at the same time, the way the villagers treated their _hero_ saddened him immensely. While the people on the dining table finished their dinner silence, Naruto had walked to a small clearing inside the woods in front of Tazuna's house.

Gazing up at the night sky, the silver color radiating off the moon reminded him of her eyes. He couldn't really understand why he was having these feelings, but he wished Hinata was beside him. Aside from his mother and Shizune, she was the one girl who never judged him for anything and was always there in his time of sadness. Her warm white eyes always seemed to bore deep into his soul that made him feel affluent and besides, she always knew what to say to uplift his mood. He felt a little sad as he hadn't spent much time with her lately because of all the missions and team training in the village. He tried to cheer himself up thinking once their team returned to the village after this mission, he would spend a little more time with her. He laughed awkwardly as he wasn't really sure how to convey all these feelings to her. His own heart felt like an alien to him right now. Seeing that it wasn't even midnight yet, Naruto decided to train for a few hours and then return to Tazuna's home. Maybe that would lighten his mood.

Unknown to the blonde, there was a set of red eyes, discreetly watching him from atop a tree as he practiced his taijutsu katas. It had been quite some time since Itachi had seen Naruto and was glad that the Senju heir seemed to be doing well. As a few more minutes passed, he jumped down from the tree, right behind the blonde.

"It has been some time, Naruto…"

* * *

 _ **Author Notes: The next chapter will be the conclusion of team seven's first mission outside the village along with Naruto confessing some of his feelings towards Hinata. It's not necessarily 'love' that he feels right now, but something akin to that. To put it more simply, he just finds her presence more soothing. Ever since Naruto and Sasuke drifted apart a little, Hinata has been his pillar. This point will be further clarified in the next chapter. There wouldn't be any flashbacks, but more like Naruto and Hinata talking to each other about some of their feelings.**_

 _ **Now, Itachi and Kisame have been keeping a close eye on Naruto, especially since he holds two bijuus in him and the Akatsuki also wants to see how his shinobi skills are developing. The reason as to why Itachi chose to meet with Naruto first instead of Sasuke will also be clarified in the next chapter. Chapter 19 will be the start of the 'Chunin Exams Arc'. I realize I have been taking the story quite slow, but I will try my best to make the story progress quickly.**_

 _ **I'm also looking for a beta reader, if someone is willing to help me out with this story, it'll be of immense help to me.**_

 _ **Please do follow, favorite and review the story! As I stated earlier also, since this was the first story I ever posted as an author on this site, it's quite special to me and I won't abandon it for sure. And I really appreciate the constructive reviews left by some of the readers! Thanks again!**_

 **Until next time!**


End file.
